1 tortuous | Definition of tortuous
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tortuous

adjective
tor·​tu·​ous | \ ˈtȯrch-wÉ™s How to pronounce tortuous (audio) , ˈtȯr-chÉ™-\

Definition of tortuous

1 : marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns : winding a tortuous path
2a : marked by devious or indirect tactics : crooked, tricky a tortuous conspiracy
b : circuitous, involved the tortuous jargon of legal forms
Other Words from tortuous Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about tortuous

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Other Words from tortuous

tortuously adverb
tortuousness noun

Did You Know?

Be careful not to confuse tortuous with torturous. These two words are relatives-both ultimately come from the Latin verb torquere, which means "to twist," "to wind," or "to wrench"-but tortuous means "winding" or "crooked," whereas torturous means "painfully unpleasant." Something tortuous (such as a twisting mountain road) might also be torturous (if, for example, you have to ride up that road on a bicycle), but that doesn't make these words synonyms. The twists and turns that mark a tortuous thing can be literal ("a tortuous path" or "a tortuous river") or figurative ("a tortuous argument" or "a tortuous explanation"), but you should consider choosing a different descriptive term if no implication of winding or crookedness is present.

Examples of tortuous in a Sentence

a tortuous path up the mountain a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns

Recent Examples on the Web

 But, as Theresa May's government engaged in increasingly tortuous negotiations with the EU, the terms of departure became ever more divisive. — Matt Wells, CNN, "Boris Johnson just took a huge step to ensure Brexit happens on October 31," 28 Aug. 2019 Moreover, despite more than a week of tortuous negotiation, the Five Stars and PD seemed to have agreed on little more than the name of the prime minister. — The Economist, "Italy’s Five Star Movement has a deal to form a new government," 28 Aug. 2019 In fact, Zarif was the lead negotiator during two years of often tortuous talks that began in 2013, three weeks after Rouhani’s election. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "Trump’s Weird Whoppers at the G-7 Summit," 27 Aug. 2019 After the Giants acquired Smith in a 2016 deadline deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for catcher Andrew Susac and pitching prospect Phil Bickford, the lefty was the team’s best reliever during a rather tortuous second half. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Will Smith’s ‘flawless’ season taking the torture out of the Giants’ save situations," 9 July 2019 Even with the involvement of the judge, the Bad Place has rigged the Medium Place experiment so that the four humans must try to earn points in pretty tortuous environment. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "The 6 Craziest ‘The Good Place’ Fan Theories on Reddit," 16 May 2019 For the first time in Britain's tortuous Brexit saga, the true believers are running the show. — Alexander Smith, NBC News, "Boris Johnson has got the Brexit band back together — will they succeed?," 27 July 2019 Chain of Craters Road meanders 20 miles through tortuous volcanic landforms between Kilauea Caldera and Holei Sea Arch. — National Geographic, "Everything to know about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park," 15 July 2019 The result would be very like the tortuous story of Andreas Georgiou, Greece’s former statistics chief. — The Economist, "The hounding of Greece’s former statistics chief is disturbing," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tortuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of tortuous

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for tortuous

Middle English, from Middle French tortueux, from Latin tortuosus, from tortus twist, from torquēre to twist

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More Definitions for tortuous

tortuous

adjective
How to pronounce tortuous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of tortuous

: having many twists and turns
: complicated, long, and confusing

See the full definition for tortuous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

tortuous

adjective
tor·​tu·​ous | \ ˈtȯr-chÉ™-wÉ™s How to pronounce tortuous (audio) \

Kids Definition of tortuous

: having many twists and turns a tortuous path

tortuous

adjective
tor·​tu·​ous | \ ˈtȯrch-(É™-)wÉ™s How to pronounce tortuous (audio) \

Medical Definition of tortuous

: marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns a tortuous blood vessel

Other Words from tortuous

tortuosity \ ˈtȯr-​chÉ™-​ˈwäs-​É™t-​Ä“ How to pronounce tortuosity (audio) \ noun, plural tortuosities
torturously adverb

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