as in deformation
the twisting of something out of its natural or normal shape or condition
had to total the car due to a distortion of the chassis resulting from collision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 distortion
The laser is used to ignite sodium atoms high in the atmosphere, which creates a focus point for astronomers to use to help calibrate telescopes' ability to see through atmospheric distortion.
—
Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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
Grunge and distortion has never sounded so pastelle-like to me.
—Ron Hart, SPIN, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for distortion 
Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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
Grunge and distortion has never sounded so pastelle-like to me.
—Ron Hart, SPIN, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for distortion
Thesaurus Entries Near distortion
Cite this Entry
“Distortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distortion. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share