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
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
All this took place against the backdrop of a tortuous revamping of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade into a stronger World Trade Organization.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
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
All this took place against the backdrop of a tortuous revamping of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade into a stronger World Trade Organization.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
-
The long and winding road of The Beatles leads to a trifecta of new anniversary artifacts.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
-
On Beatles night at Citi Field, the Mets took a long and winding road to defeat.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The curved design trend has delivered an abundance of playful pieces to homes over the past couple of years.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel collided with a naval destroyer while attempting to drive away a Philippine patrol ship in the South China Sea, leaving its bow crumpled and twisted.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Whether authors are consciously channeling Jareth’s twisted charm or Sarah’s determined spirit, the influence of Labyrinth can be found in books that blend fantasy with yearning, danger, and wonder.—
Logan Karlie
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share