tortuous

[ tawr-choo-uhs ]

adjective

1. full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked:

   a tortuous path.

   Synonyms: serpentine, sinuous, bent

2. not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; circuitous:

   tortuous negotiations lasting for months.

   Synonyms: indirect, roundabout, evasive

3. deceitfully indirect or morally crooked, as proceedings, methods, or policy; devious.

tortuous

/ ˈtɔːtjʊəs /

adjective

1. twisted or winding

   a tortuous road

2. devious or cunning

   a tortuous mind

3. intricate

Confusables Note

See torturous.

Derived Forms

• ˈtortuously, adverb
• ˈtortuousness, noun

Other Words From

• 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
• un·tortu·ous·ly adverb
• un·tortu·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tortuous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin tortuōsus, equivalent to tortu(s) “a twisting” ( torquēre “to twist, bend” + -tus suffix of verbal action) + -ōsus adjective suffix; -ous

Example Sentences

It also revamped the filter to contain “a tortuous maze of micropores” that helps to “address 200+ typical contaminants found in tap water.”

From Los Angeles Times

City manager Pep Guardiola led celebrations that smacked of victory rather than a point claimed at the last, this in itself a testimony to the tortuous experience this increasingly mature and steely Arsenal put them through.

From BBC

Each week, the section highlights one wedding with photos and a generally upbeat tale about the couple’s sometimes tortuous road to the altar.

From Los Angeles Times

Just before the No Kings Act was announced, Biden unveiled his tortuous, doomed proposals for two court reforms — Supreme Court term limits and an actual code of ethics — along with a proposed constitutional amendment to overrule the presidential-immunity decision.

From Salon

Her tortuous training regime had pushed her body to the brink, and by the time of her death, she was experiencing hip pain, lateral bending of the spinal column, damage to the discs and fusion of the spinal vertebrae, displacement of the pelvis, degeneration of both kneecaps and sunken arches in her feet.

From BBC

Related Words

• circuitous
• convoluted
• indirect
• labyrinthine
• meandering
• serpentine
• twisting
• winding