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
Sharks with lower energy reserves, in contrast, exhibited more tortuous or localized movements, likely reflecting a strategy constrained by limited metabolic capacity.
—
Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Their adoption follows tortuous negotiations with the powerful governors of Nigeria’s 36 states, hundreds of legislators and labor union leaders.
—Nduka Orjinmo, Bloomberg, 2 Jan. 2026
In phantom endovascular models, the robot successfully navigated through tortuous vessel-like structures, demonstrating the technique’s potential for minimally invasive vascular interventions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
For his role in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which came out in 2000, Jim Carrey’s tortuous costume and makeup had him on the verge of walking away from a $20 million paycheck.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Their adoption follows tortuous negotiations with the powerful governors of Nigeria’s 36 states, hundreds of legislators and labor union leaders.
—Nduka Orjinmo, Bloomberg, 2 Jan. 2026
In phantom endovascular models, the robot successfully navigated through tortuous vessel-like structures, demonstrating the technique’s potential for minimally invasive vascular interventions.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
For his role in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which came out in 2000, Jim Carrey’s tortuous costume and makeup had him on the verge of walking away from a $20 million paycheck.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
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Soneva Jani stretches almost four miles along a stunning lagoon, with a small, lush island connecting two winding jetties, each snaking through the turquoise waters and leading to a collection of unique overwater villas.—
William Curtis,
Travel + Leisure,
6 May 2026
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Even the entrance is enveloping—a winding, sheltered, dark wooden path that smells like intense relaxation and essential oils.—
Morgan Fargo,
Vogue,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Triangles in the Sky Carl Friedrich Gauss, a German astronomer who lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s, was one of the first mathematicians to study geometry in curved spaces.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
23 May 2026
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Far below the most abstract undulating curved frozen shapes where the weight of the sea ice has forged the shoreline into a white sculpture park.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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The actor starred in the miniseries The Name of the Rose before pivoting to the delightfully twisted Evil.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
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The story has been described as a twisted murder mystery that charts the origins of the sinister Vought corporation.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Like a vibrantly hued snake darting down the narrow branch of a tree, the collective of high-performance automobiles rapidly navigates the narrow, serpentine artery along the Northeastern Italian coast, a quicksilver-like tracing of the border between Il Bel Paese and Slovenia.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
11 May 2026
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The Comeback never got any nominations in the supporting categories, but Andrew Scott could pull some attention as the show’s serpentine tech-bro CEO.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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