as in winding
marked by a long series of irregular curves
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
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Recent Examples of tortuous
Egyptian hieroglyphics gave rise to a number of true alphabets, Latin included, through a tortuous procession of descendants.
—
Longreads, 1 July 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Rainy days aren’t much better, and the summers are quickly becoming just as tortuous.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
All this took place against the backdrop of a tortuous revamping of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade into a stronger World Trade Organization.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Longreads, 1 July 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Rainy days aren’t much better, and the summers are quickly becoming just as tortuous.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
All this took place against the backdrop of a tortuous revamping of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade into a stronger World Trade Organization.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
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The long and winding road of The Beatles leads to a trifecta of new anniversary artifacts.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
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On Beatles night at Citi Field, the Mets took a long and winding road to defeat.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Both rotary knobs make an assuring click when twisted.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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All in, our summer trip took seven separate bookings to pull off — a twisted mix of one-way tickets and return trips — sometimes among people on the same flight.—
Monica Pitrelli,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps even more famous is the serpentine Trollstigen mountain road, a feat of engineering that twists and turns its way up the mountainside, offering thrilling views at every hairpin bend.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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The new screening lanes are designed to move passengers more quickly in a bid to alleviate sometimes-lengthy wait times in serpentine security lines.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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