as in distorted
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as in deformed
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
the acrobat is able to contort his body so that it almost looks like a pretzel
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Recent Examples of contorted
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
Then there are a couple of realistic sculptures by Swedish artist Anna Uddenberg that feature a woman seated on a basic office chair in contorted positions that seem to emphasize her feminine parts.
—Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Three-inch gashes had been ripped from both corners of her mouth nearly to the ears, forming a contorted, twisted smile.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
And children’s faces are contorted with terror.
—Leonard Pitts Jr, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Vonn walked with a limp, which contorted her body in a way that put stress on other areas, like her hips and ribs.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
One oral tradition about Lake Nyos describes how people long ago attempted to cross the dry lake bed between the high, contorted rock formations of the maar’s volcanic rim.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Rogalski contorted his body and got a foot down in bounds to secure the interception at Mahtomedi’s 42 yard line.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Some language just gets contorted in error.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Last week, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s ground recovery, revealing why the humanoid rises with contorted movements rather than standing like a human.
—Verb
Their necks contorted slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high-definition videos started and their journeys commenced.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
Adjective
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Instead, growing evidence suggests that AI tools can reinforce distorted beliefs among individuals already at risk.—
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Stunting or slow growth with distorted leaves or stems.—
Verb
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American bases built inside the ice sheet, such as Camp Century, were quickly crushed as the encasing snow deformed.—
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One of those difficulties was figuring out how to square the minimal and highly refined designs of Mies and Johnson with the raw and sometimes deformed materials salvaged from RedBird.—
Adjective
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Data on sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing, were not available.—
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The team explained that the disordered layered structure remained dimensionally stable as lithium ions moved, thereby preventing the sharp lattice contraction that normally occurs at high states of charge.—
Verb
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Dressed in an angelic all-white ensemble, Stewart’s hair is longer than most would recognize now and slightly curled.—
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Perhaps, curled inside the turbulent virginal atmosphere, Helm dreams of being a storm, has a prophetic vision of destruction, feels a natural calling.—
Verb
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The attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the preliminary injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s removal to Liberia should be dissolved because the government received assurances from the government of the West African country that he will not be persecuted or tortured.—
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Of the few that have arrived in what Saraf describes as a small agricultural town, many have reported being beaten and tortured by different militia groups stationed along the treacherous route between El Fasher and Tawila.—
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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