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distorted

   Also found in: Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
dis·tort  (d-stôrt)
tr.v. dis·tort·ed, dis·tort·ing, dis·torts
1. To twist out of a proper or natural relation of parts; misshape.
2. To give a false or misleading account of; misrepresent.
3. To cause to work in a twisted or disorderly manner; pervert.

[Latin distorqure, distort- : dis-, apart; see dis- + torqure, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]

dis·torter n.
Synonyms: distort, twist, deform, contort, warp
These verbs mean to alter the form or character of something, usually disadvantageously. To distort is to change the physical shape of something, as by torsion or exaggeration of certain features, or to misconstrue the meaning of something: "The human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly, distorts and discolors the nature of things" Francis Bacon.
Twist applies to distortion of form or meaning: twisted his mouth in pain; accused me of twisting her words.
Deform refers to change that disfigures and often implies the loss of desirable qualities such as beauty: erosion that deformed the landscape.
Contort implies violent change that produces unnatural or grotesque effects: contorted her face with rage.
Warp can refer to turning from a flat or straight form or from a true course or direction: floorboards that had warped over the years; judgment warped by prejudice.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.distorted - so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly; "deformed thalidomide babies"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "an ill-shapen vase"; "a limp caused by a malformed foot"; "misshapen old fingers"
unshapely - not well-proportioned and pleasing in shape; "a stout unshapely woman"
2.distorteddistorted - having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented; "many of the facts seemed twisted out of any semblance to reality"; "a perverted translation of the poem"
artful, disingenuous - not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness; "an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who...exemplified...the most disagreeable traits of his time"- David Cannadine; "a disingenuous excuse"

distorted

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In this mirror the most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled spinach, and the best persons were turned into frights, or appeared to stand on their heads; their faces were so distorted that they were not to be recognised; and if anyone had a mole, you might be sure that it would be magnified and spread over both nose and mouth.
To take an obvious example, the comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain.
That night nearly forty people lay under the starlight about the pit, charred and distorted beyond recognition, and all night long the common from Horsell to Maybury was deserted and brightly ablaze.
 
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