tortuous
tortuous · more tortuous · most tortuous
Twisted; having many turns; convolutedTwisted; having many turns; convoluted.
UK/ˈtɔːt͡ʃuːəs/US/ˈtɔɹt͡ʃuəs/
» The five-year civil war has seen plenty of tortuous battlefield ups and downs.
Meaning
3 senses(figuratively, often)Twisted; having many turns; convoluted.
Oblique; applied to the six signs of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Gemini) that ascend most rapidly and obliquely.
(obsolete)Injurious; tortious.
More definitions
- not straightforward
- marked by repeated turns and bends
- highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious
Examples
2 sentencesThe five-year civil war has seen plenty of tortuous battlefield ups and downs.
Learning spelling in English is more tortuous than in other languages. Children suffer in hidden ways.
Translations
5 languagesOrigin
From Middle English tortuous, tortuose, from Anglo-Norman and Old French tortuos, from LatFrom Middle English tortuous, tortuose, from Anglo-Norman and Old French tortuos, from Latin tortuōsus, from tortus (“a twisting, winding”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more tortuous, most tortuous| Comparative | more tortuous Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most tortuous Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
10 synonymsClose in meaning
- marked by repeated turns and bends:twistingtwistywindingvoluminous
- highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious:Byzantineconvolutedinvolvedknottytangledlabyrinthine
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form