tortuous

tortuous

circuitous; devious; full of twists, turns, or bends: a tortuous road up the mountain
Not to be confused with:torturous – pertains to suffering: We toil in the torturous heat.

tor·tu·ous

T0283200 (tôr′cho͞o-əs)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.

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[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin tortuōsus, from tortus, a twisting, from past participle of torquēre, to twist; see terk^w- in Indo-European roots.]

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tor′tu·ous·ly adv.tor′tu·ous·ness n.Usage Note: Although tortuous and torturous both come from the Latin word torquēre, "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, strained, belabored" and tortured is an even stronger synonym: a tortured analogy.

tortuous

(ˈtɔːtjʊəs) adj1. twisted or winding: a tortuous road. 2. devious or cunning: a tortuous mind. 3. intricate ˈtortuously adv ˈtortuousness n

tor•tu•ous

(ˈtɔr tʃu əs)

adj. 1. full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked. 2. not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; circuitous: tortuous negotiations. 3. deceitfully indirect or morally crooked; devious. [1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tortuōsus=tortu(s) a twisting (tor(quēre) to twist, bend + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ōsus -ous] tor′tu•ous•ly, adv. tor′tu•ous•ness, n. usage: See torturous.

tortuous

, torturous - Tortuous is "winding, crooked, full of twists and turns," and torturous, based on "torture," is "painful, characterized by suffering."See also related terms for torture.

Thesaurus

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"convoluted, tangled, Byzantine, knotty, involvedcomplex - 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.	tortuous - 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"twisting, twisty, winding, voluminouscrooked - having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned; "crooked country roads"; "crooked teeth"
	3.	tortuous - 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

adjective1. winding, twisting, meandering, bent, twisted, curved, crooked, indirect, convoluted, serpentine, zigzag, sinuous, circuitous, twisty, mazy a tortuous mountain route2. complicated, involved, misleading, tricky, indirect, ambiguous, roundabout, deceptive, devious, convoluted, mazy long and tortuous negotiations
complicated direct, straightforward, open, reliable, upright, honest, candid, ingenuousUsage: 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.

tortuous

adjective1. Repeatedly curving in alternate directions:anfractuous, flexuous, meandrous, serpentine, sinuous, snaky, winding.2. Not taking a direct or straight line or course:anfractuous, circuitous, circular, devious, indirect, oblique, roundabout.

Translations

tortuosotortueuxanfrattuosotortuoso