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
In retrospect, 1943, which saw the publication of three remarkable books by three remarkable women, is sometimes seen as the beginning of a long and tortuous comeback for the ideas of liberty.
—
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025
Flying anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday is likely to be tortuous for legions of travelers — even if the government shutdown ends today, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned today.
—Jay Blackman, NBC news, 8 Nov. 2025
More recently, Geran variants painted black with special material to hide from radar fly higher and with tortuous routes to evade Ukrainian defense teams.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2025
The development concludes a tortuous bargaining process that lasted longer than the term of the three-year contract.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025
Flying anywhere for the Thanksgiving holiday is likely to be tortuous for legions of travelers — even if the government shutdown ends today, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned today.
—Jay Blackman, NBC news, 8 Nov. 2025
More recently, Geran variants painted black with special material to hide from radar fly higher and with tortuous routes to evade Ukrainian defense teams.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2025
The development concludes a tortuous bargaining process that lasted longer than the term of the three-year contract.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
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Chicago capped a winding season of exclamation-point football with its wild-card comeback against the archrival Green Bay Packers.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2026
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Old Town Albuquerque With its narrow, winding streets and adobe architecture, Old Town Albuquerque oozes small-town charm.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Play with the traditional French manicure and swap the curved tip for a heart shape.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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It’s filled with curved desks arranged in rows, each equipped with multiple computer monitors.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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For the most part, Raimi is here to have sick, progressively more twisted fun.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, Rihanna was the most famous beauty spotted, attending Christian Dior in side tendrils and a twisted bun.—
Essence,
Essence,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Here’s how Najash taught herpetologists that serpentine body plans didn’t evolve in a straight line, from lizard to legless.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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Hathaway also styled her hair with bold side bangs while modeling the serpentine gold jewelry.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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