distortion
an act or instance of distorting.
anything that is distorted, as a sound, image, fact, etc.
Optics. an aberration of a lens or system of lenses in which the magnification of the object varies with the lateral distance from the axis of the lens.
Origin of distortion
1Other words from distortion
- dis·tor·tion·al, dis·tor·tion·ar·y, adjective
- non·dis·tor·tion, noun
- o·ver·dis·tor·tion, noun
- Compare barrel distortion, pincushion distortion.
Words Nearby distortion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use distortion in a sentence
That “news staffer” needs a leader at Fox News with some standing, someone who could stand up to the multimillionaires who pack the prime-time schedule with lies and distortions.
Another perk of this lens shape is less distortion and glare.
Best ski goggles: What to look for in a pair you’ll love | Eric Alt | January 20, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe price distortions of stocks in the index turbocharge the small-cap advantage.
Our autobiographical memories are subject to all kinds of distortions—what psychologist Daniel Schacter cheekily calls “sins of commission.”
In particular, the researchers look for distortions caused by gravitational waves — ripples in space-time that, when they pass through the pulsars, change the blips’ arrival time on Earth.
Some Physicists See Signs of Cosmic Strings From the Big Bang | Thomas Lewton | September 29, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
And yet, even while seldom leaving the capital, they offer a perspective on the city that tilts toward distortion.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSecond, however, dealing with TEKS at all means distortion, or worse.
In Texas Textbooks, Moses Is a Founding Father | Edward Countryman | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDisguise, distortion, and deception were accepted as reality.
What Cold War CIA Interrogators Learned from the Nazis | Annie Jacobsen | February 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNo doubt she's right, but wouldn't the best solution be to do away with the market distortion at the root of the problem?
Great TV shows reflect our lives back at us, even if it is with the fun-house distortion that sitcoms routinely pull off.
"Come nearer, Tatsu San," he whispered, forcing his face into the distortion of a smile.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaNo distortion of countenance, or aukward behaviour; no absence of mind; but to keep the Graces always in remembrance.
Two Burlesques of Lord Chesterfield's Letters. | AnonymousIn fig. 72 distortion is carried too far; this figure is merely used as an illustration.
The street was empty and the acute sound of their steps struck in fantastic distortion against the city of silence.
The Woman Gives | Owen JohnsonWe get some gravity, some magnetic, and some electrostatic field distortion, too.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
British Dictionary definitions for distortion
/ (dɪˈstɔːʃən) /
the act or an instance of distorting or the state of being distorted
something that is distorted
an aberration of a lens or optical system in which the magnification varies with the lateral distance from the axis
electronics
an undesired change in the shape of an electromagnetic wave or signal
the result of such a change in waveform, esp a loss of clarity in radio reception or sound reproduction
psychol a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality
psychoanal the disguising of the meaning of unconscious thoughts so that they may appear in consciousness, e.g. in dreams
Derived forms of distortion
- distortional, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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