distortion

[ dih-stawr-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: distortiondistortions on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an act or instance of distorting.

  2. the state of being distorted or the relative degree or amount by which something is distorted or distorts.

  1. anything that is distorted, as a sound, image, fact, etc.

  2. 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

1
First recorded in 1575–85, distortion is from the Latin word distortiōn- (stem of distortiō). See distort, -ion

Other words from distortion

  • dis·tor·tion·al, dis·tor·tion·ar·y, adjective
  • non·dis·tor·tion, noun
  • o·ver·dis·tor·tion, noun

Words Nearby distortion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use distortion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for distortion

distortion

/ (dɪˈstɔːʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of distorting or the state of being distorted

  2. something that is distorted

  1. an aberration of a lens or optical system in which the magnification varies with the lateral distance from the axis

  2. 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

  3. psychol a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality

  4. 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