TORTUOUS: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TORTUOUS?

Need another word that means the same as “tortuous”? Find 35 synonyms and 30 related words for “tortuous” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Tortuous” are: byzantine, convoluted, involved, knotty, tangled, twisting, twisty, voluminous, winding, curving, curvy, sinuous, undulating, coiling, meandering, serpentine, snaky, zigzag, spiralling, circuitous, rambling, wandering, indirect, deviating, devious, labyrinthine, mazy, roundabout, complicated, complex, confusing, lengthy, overlong, verbose, difficult to follow

Tortuous as an Adjective

Definitions of "Tortuous" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tortuous” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Marked by repeated turns and bends.
• Highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious.
• Not straightforward.
• Excessively lengthy and complex.
• Full of twists and turns.

Synonyms of "Tortuous" as an adjective (35 Words)

byzantine	Highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious.
circuitous	Deviating from a straight course. A circuitous line of reasoning.
coiling	In the shape of a coil.
complex	Complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts. The situation is more complex than it appears.
complicated	Difficult to analyze or understand. A complicated stereo system.
confusing	Lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity. Being hospitalized can be confusing and distressing for a small child.
convoluted	Intricately folded, twisted, or coiled. Convoluted reasoning.
curving	Having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend.
curvy	(of a woman’s body) having a large bosom and pleasing curves. Curvy lines.
deviating	Markedly different from an accepted norm.
devious	Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals. He s as devious as a politician needs to be.
difficult to follow	Hard to control.
indirect	Descended from a common ancestor but through different lines. Reflection from the ceiling provided a soft indirect light.
involved	Emotionally involved. The plot was too involved.
knotty	Full of knots. A knotty legal problem.
labyrinthine	Relating to or affecting or originating in the inner ear. A labyrinthine network of tortuous footpaths.
lengthy	(especially in reference to time) of considerable or unusual length, especially so as to be tedious. Lengthy delays.
mazy	Like a maze; labyrinthine. The mazy old fishing quarter.
meandering	Proceeding in a convoluted or undirected fashion. A brilliant sample of meandering discourse.
overlong	Too long. An overlong sermon.
rambling	Spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly. A rambling speech about this and that.
roundabout	Not following a short direct route; circuitous. A roundabout route avoided rush hour traffic.
serpentine	Of or like a serpent or snake. A serpentine wall.
sinuous	Gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease. The sinuous grace of a cat.
snaky	Of the supposed nature of a snake in showing coldness, venom, or cunning. Snaky ridges in the sand.
spiralling	Having or forming a spiral shape. He needed to relax after the spiralling tensions of the day.
tangled	In a confused mass. Pushed back her tangled hair.
twisting	Marked by repeated turns and bends.
twisty	Marked by repeated turns and bends. A twisty country road.
undulating	Having a smoothly rising and falling form or outline. The undulating country lanes of Northern Ireland.
verbose	Using or containing too many words. Much academic language is obscure and verbose.
voluminous	Large in number or quantity (especially of discourse. A subject of voluminous legislation.
wandering	Travelling aimlessly from place to place; itinerant. Wandering tribes.
winding	Of a path e.g. Winding roads are full of surprises.
zigzag	Having the form of a zigzag veering alternately to right and left. When chased by a predator some animals take a zigzag course.

Usage Examples of "Tortuous" as an adjective

• Tortuous legal procedures.
• A tortuous argument.
• Tortuous negotiations lasting for months.
• A tortuous road up the mountain.
• The route is remote and tortuous.
• His tortuous reasoning.

Associations of "Tortuous" (30 Words)

abstruse	Difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. An abstruse philosophical inquiry.
backhanded	Roundabout or ambiguous. A backhanded pass.
circuitous	(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way. A circuitous line of reasoning.
complex	Make an atom or compound form a complex with another. A complex mass of diverse laws and customs.
complexity	The state or quality of being intricate or complicated. He enjoyed the complexity of modern computers.
complicated	Consisting of many interconnecting parts or elements; intricate. A complicated problem.
convoluted	Rolled longitudinally upon itself. Convoluted reasoning.
convolution	A thing that is complex and difficult to follow. The convolutions of farm policy.
crooked	Annoyed; exasperated. A dress with a crooked hemline.
discursive	Digressing from subject to subject. A rambling discursive book.
esoterica	Secrets known only to an initiated minority. A professor of such esoterica as angelology and comparative shamanism.
gnarled	Used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots. The gnarled old oak tree.
indirect	Extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action. Doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind.
intricacy	The quality of being intricate. The intricacy of the procedure.
intricate	Very complicated or detailed. Intricate lacework.
involution	The process of raising a quantity to some assigned power. Periods of artistic involution.
knotty	Tangled in knots or snarls. A knotty legal problem.
labyrinth	A complex structure in the inner ear which contains the organs of hearing and balance It consists of bony cavities the bony labyrinth filled with fluid and lined with sensitive membranes the membranous labyrinth. You lose yourself in a labyrinth of little streets.
labyrinthine	(of a network) like a labyrinth; irregular and twisting. A labyrinthine network of tortuous footpaths.
maze	A confusing mass of information. The house has a maze and a walled Italian garden.
meander	An aimless amble on a winding course. Kids meandered in and out.
perplexity	An entangled state. She paused in perplexity.
priggish	Self-righteously moralistic and superior. A priggish little pedant.
problematic	Constituting or presenting a problem. The situation was problematic for teachers.
ravel	Unravel fray. Can you unravel the mystery.
serpentine	Complex, cunning, or treacherous. His charm was too subtle and serpentine for me.
sinuosity	Having curves. He hated the sinuosity of mountain roads.
sinuous	Gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease. The river follows a sinuous trail through the dale.
tangled	Twisted together untidily; matted. His hair was a tangled mess.
winding	The act of winding or twisting. Our bedroom was at the top of a winding staircase.