as in winding
marked by a long series of irregular curves
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
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
-
The Didi and Gogo that Sparks and Shannon created were full of blood and bile, real people with — no matter how obscured in its details by time and circumstance — a long and winding relationship.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Designed by Anthony Guerrée for De La Espada, this piece features a central base crafted from a series of overlapping wood slats—a textured moment that creates visual equilibrium with its smooth, curved-brass counterpart.—
Rachel Gallaher,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to a scratching surface, the product's curved design can also serve as a lounger for cats.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Families of the trapped -- who are said to be mostly teenage boys -- waited anxiously for news as rescue teams combed through twisted debris and slabs of concrete to find 38 students and workers who were still missing.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Living together in the Fear House, a group of strangers face OMG stunts, challenges, and a twisted game of social strategy, Banijay teases.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Natural light pours in from both sides of the slender, serpentine structure.—
Elizabeth Brownfield,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The system offers a new glimpse into deep-sea serpentinization—a process in which iron- and magnesium-rich rocks chemically react with water to form serpentine minerals and release hydrogen.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share