as in winding
marked by a long series of irregular curves
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
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Recent Examples of tortuous
Egyptian hieroglyphics gave rise to a number of true alphabets, Latin included, through a tortuous procession of descendants.
—
Longreads, 1 July 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
And, if that process proved tortuous and violent, what role could the U.S. have in trying to pacify a nation of almost 90 million people?
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Rainy days aren’t much better, and the summers are quickly becoming just as tortuous.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Longreads, 1 July 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
And, if that process proved tortuous and violent, what role could the U.S. have in trying to pacify a nation of almost 90 million people?
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Rainy days aren’t much better, and the summers are quickly becoming just as tortuous.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
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Experts say that these legal challenges are just the beginning of what will surely be a long and winding road through the U.S. court system.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
23 Oct. 2025
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Thake took a long and winding trip down the memories of South Yorkshire football, a path which eventually led him to the living room of a shy, almost reclusive Rotherham man called Terry Moran.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The curved lines and mesh detailing add a dash of vintage street style, and pair well with everything from athletic wear to wide-leg trousers and a T-shirt.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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Spacetime may be more strongly curved inside of a black hole’s event horizon, but anything that happens in there can’t get out; nothing can escape a black hole’s interior, even at the speed of light.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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At first LaRue, then 40 and a single mother living with her 5-year-old daughter Kaya Callahan in Los Angeles, thought the hate mail might just be a twisted prank.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
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Yet none are warped or twisted.—
Suzanne Wright,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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There are swift, serpentine vines dexterous enough to snatch Dek’s supplies; combustible little slugs that detonate like grenades when triggered; and exotic flowers that swell up and squirt paralyzing darts when something approaches.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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Here, Stone has certainly raised the bar for herself (two Oscars will do that), delivering a smart, serpentine performance worthy of being grouped with the best lead actresses of the year.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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