tortuous

adjective

tor·​tu·​ous ˈtȯr-chə-wəs 

ˈtȯrch-

1

: marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns : winding

a tortuous path

2

a

: marked by devious or indirect tactics : crooked, tricky

a tortuous conspiracy

b

: circuitous, involved

the tortuous jargon of legal forms

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 veer away from using the term if no implication of winding or crookedness is present.

Synonyms

• bending
• crazy
• crooked
• curled
• curling
• curved
• curving
• curvy
• devious
• serpentine
• sinuous
• twisted
• twisting
• winding
• windy

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

For example, having a redundant colon (also known as a tortuous colon) means that part of the large intestine is longer than normal. —Cristina Mutchler, Health, 19 Oct. 2024

At the same time, the path to a U.S. listing has become increasingly tortuous for high-profile Chinese companies. —Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

There is nothing more painful, more heartbreaking, or more tortuous than wanting to grow your family and being told you can’t, especially by your own body. —Tara Lipinski, Allure, 15 Oct. 2024

As for the danger of pushing Baghdad closer to Tehran, although Iran would gladly smother Iraq in a suffocating embrace, Iraq's own tortuous history of war with its neighbor means that Iraq will continue to seek a relationship with the West in part to counterbalance Tehran. —Ned Parker, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2012

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

tortuous

adjective

tor·​tu·​ous ˈtȯrch-(ə-)wəs 

: having many twists and turns

tortuously adverb

Medical Definition

tortuous

adjective

tor·​tu·​ous ˈtȯrch-(ə-)wəs 

: marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns

a tortuous blood vessel

tortuosity

ˈtȯr-chə-ˈwäs-ət-ē 

noun

plural tortuosities

torturously adverb