contortion

C3O1N1T1O1R1T1I1O1N1

noun

The act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.

Similar
contortionismdeformationtortuositytortuousnesstorsioncrookedness
OriginMiddle French contortion ← Latin contortiō ← Proto-Italic *torkʷeō →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nouncontortion (countable and uncountable, plural contortions)

plural contortions

  1. countableThe act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.
  2. uncountableA performance art involving the dramatic bending and flexing of the body, showcasing extreme physical flexibility.

    Synonyms: contortionism

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA performance art involving the dramatic bending and flexing of the body, showcasing extreme physical flexibility.

Similar
contortionism

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe act of twisting or deforming the shape of something (e.g., yourself)

Similar
deformation
Broader
change of shape

nouna tortuous and twisted shape or position

Similar
tortuositytortuousnesstorsioncrookedness
Broader
distorted shapedistortion
Also see
contortionismcrookednessdeformationtorsiontortuositytortuousness

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincon-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*terkʷ-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*torkʷ-éye-ti
  8. Proto-Italic*torkʷejō
  9. Proto-Italic*torkʷeō
  10. Latintorqueō
  11. Latincontorqueō
  12. Latincontortus
  13. Latincontortiō
  14. Middle Frenchcontortion
  15. Englishcontortion

Derived from Middle French contortion, from Latin contortiō.

More words from Middle French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian криве́не, изкривяване
  • криве́не (krivéne)the act of contorting
  • изкривяване (izkrivjavane)the act of contorting
Chinese Mandarin 扭彎 /扭弯, 扭歪
  • 扭彎 /扭弯 (niǔwān)the act of contorting
  • 扭歪 (niǔwāi)the act of contorting
  • 扭曲 (niǔqū)the act of contorting
  • 柔身術 /柔身术 (róushēnshù)performance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
  • 軟功 /软功 (ruǎngōng)performance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Dutch verwringing, verrekking
  • verwringingthe act of contorting
  • verrekkingthe act of contorting
  • kronkelingthe act of contorting
  • bochtenwerkthe act of contorting
French contorsion
  • contorsionperformance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
German Kontorsion
  • Kontorsionperformance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Irish freangadh
  • freangadhthe act of contorting
Polish wykręcenie, kontorsja
  • wykręceniethe act of contorting
  • kontorsjaperformance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Portuguese contorção, contorcionismo
  • contorçãothe act of contorting
  • contorcionismoperformance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Russian искривле́ние, искаже́ние
  • искривле́ние (iskrivlénije)the act of contorting
  • искаже́ние (iskažénije)the act of contorting
  • конто́рсия (kontórsija)performance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Spanish contorsión, contorsión
  • contorsiónthe act of contorting
  • contorsiónperformance art using skills of extreme physical flexibility
Ukrainian викривлення, перекручення
  • викривлення (vykryvlennja)the act of contorting
  • перекручення (perekručennja)the act of contorting
  • спотворення (spotvorennja)the act of contorting
Cite this entry
APA

contortion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contortion

MLA

“contortion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contortion. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contortion,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contortion.

Source: contortion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.