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tortuous
(redirected from tortuosities)

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
tor·tu·ous  (tôrch-s)
adj.
1. Having or marked by repeated turns or bends; winding or twisting: a tortuous road through the mountains.
2. Not straightforward; circuitous; devious: a tortuous plot; tortuous reasoning.
3. Highly involved; complex: tortuous legal procedures.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin tortusus, from tortus, a twisting, from past participle of torqure, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]

tortu·ous·ly adv.
tortu·ous·ness n.
Usage Note: Although tortuous and torturous both come from the Latin word torqure, "to twist," their primary meanings are distinct. Tortuous means "twisting" (a tortuous road) or by extension "complex" or "devious." Torturous refers primarily to torture and the pain associated with it. However, torturous also can be used in the sense of "twisted" or "strained," and tortured is an even stronger synonym: tortured reasoning.

tortuous [ˈtɔːtjʊəs]
adj
1. twisted or winding a tortuous road
2. devious or cunning a tortuous mind
3. intricate
tortuously  adv
tortuousness  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.tortuous - highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious; "the Byzantine tax structure"; "Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship"; "convoluted legal language"; "convoluted reasoning"; "the plot was too involved"; "a knotty problem"; "got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering"; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott; "tortuous legal procedures"; "tortuous negotiations lasting for months"
complex - complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts; "a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"; "a complex mass of diverse laws and customs"
2.tortuoustortuous - marked by repeated turns and bends; "a tortuous road up the mountain"; "winding roads are full of surprises"; "had to steer the car down a twisty track"
crooked - having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned; "crooked country roads"; "crooked teeth"
3.tortuoustortuous - not straightforward; "his tortuous reasoning"
indirect - extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action; "making indirect but legitimate inquiries"; "an indirect insult"; "doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind"; "though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest"; "known as a shady indirect fellow"

tortuous
adjective
2. complicated, involved, misleading, tricky, indirect, ambiguous, roundabout, deceptive, devious, convoluted, mazy long and tortuous negotiations
complicated direct, straightforward, open, reliable, upright, honest, candid, ingenuous
Usage: The adjective tortuous is sometimes confused with torturous. A tortuous road is one that winds or twists, while a torturous experience is one that involves pain, suffering, or discomfort.
Translations
tortuous [ˈtɔːtjʊəs] ADJ
1. (= winding) [path, road, process] → tortuoso
2. (= convoluted) [sentence, essay, logic] → enrevesado
tortuous [ˈtɔːrtʃuəs] adj
[route, road] → tortueux/euse
[logic, argument, process] → tortueux/euse
tortuous
adj (lit) pathgewunden; (fig)verwickelt; methods also, person, journeyumständlich
tortuous [ˈtɔːtjʊəs] adjtortuoso/a
tortuous [ˈtɔːtjʊəs] adjtortuoso/a


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