contortion

noun

Definition of contortionnext
as in deformation
the twisting of something out of its natural or normal shape or condition the comedian is renowned for his seemingly endless variety of facial contortions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contortion
  1. deformation
  2. distortion
  3. deformity
Noun
  • In 2018, a team of French physicists developed a rudimentary mathematical model to describe the deformation of a common type of knit.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Causes of Friction Blisters Friction blisters on the feet are caused by three elements: the motion of bone, high friction force, and the repetition of shear stress, which is when a force causes the deformation of an object by creating slippage along a flat surface that is parallel to the force.
    Laura Schober, Health, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of deformation
Noun
  • Works transposed into foreign languages—and cultures—inevitably suffer omissions and distortion.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The economic distortions created by centralized monetary policy, and the trillions in debt, inflationary pressures, and regulatory overreach that follow are not going away anytime soon.
    Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of distortion
Noun
  • Mother cats may reject their kittens for several reasons, including illness and deformity.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
  • The unnamed toddler was found with matted hair, rashes and some deformities at the family home in Cheshire, according to the PA Media news agency, which reported on the case.
    Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of deformity
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near contortion

contorting

contortion

contortionist

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Contortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contortion. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on contortion

Nglish: Translation of contortion for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.