tortuous
Use Tortuous in a sentence
tʃu adjective
1.
full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked: a tortuous path.
2.
not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; intricate; circuitous: tortuous negotiations lasting for months.
3.
deceitfully indirect or morally crooked, as proceedings, methods, or policy; devious.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tortuōsus, equivalent to tortu(s) a twisting (tor(quēre) to twist, bend + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ōsus -ous
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tortuōsus, equivalent to tortu(s) a twisting (tor(quēre) to twist, bend + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ōsus -ous
Related forms
tor·tu·ous·ly, adverb
tor·tu·ous·ness, noun
non·tor·tu·ous, adjective
non·tor·tu·ous·ly, adverb
un·tor·tu·ous, adjective
Synonyms
1. bent, sinuous, serpentine. 2. evasive, roundabout, indirect.
1. bent, sinuous, serpentine. 2. evasive, roundabout, indirect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To tortuous
00:10
Tortuous
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is disparage. Does it mean:
| to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle: |
| full of complaints; complaining |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tortuous (ˈtɔːtjʊəs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | twisted or winding: a tortuous road |
| 2. | devious or cunning: a tortuous mind |
| 3. | intricate |
| 'tortuously | |
| —adv | |
| 'tortuousness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tortuous
c.1391, from Anglo-Fr. tortuous (12c.), from L. tortuosus "full of twists, winding," from tortus "a twisting, winding," from stem of torquere "to twist, wring, distort" (see thwart).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
tortuous tor·tu·ous (tôr'ch&oomacr;-əs)
adj.
Having many turns; winding or twisting.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The calculations can be complicated by the tortuous accounting used to calculate the private-equity industry's returns.
His goal was simple and clear, and yet the road toward it was tortuous beyond imagination.
Many at the conference likened it to the tortuous process of conquering addiction.
His recipes are tortuous to follow, his ingredients are obscure, and he's never available for interview.
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