distorted

adjective

dis·​tort·​ed di-ˈstȯr-təd How to pronounce distorted (audio)
: altered from a true, natural, or normal state, shape, or condition
a distorted image
a distorted view/understanding of the situation
a distorted account of what happened
The public is, I believe, dimly aware of this aspect of ethnography, perhaps in romantically distorted ways, but aware nonetheless.Roy A. Rappaport
What happens is that you realize people in other countries tend to reach distorted conclusions about the U.S., and you feel obligated to provide what you believe is a full and balanced appraisal.Norman Cousins

Examples of distorted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And yet, embedded alongside insurrectionists whom the media may well have inspired, these eyewitnesses to history are fueled by a totally distorted sense of duty: Their sole focus is to get the shot — or the story, as the case may be. Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 To the extent that Chutkan’s order was intended not just to protect people involved in the case but also to keep other Americans from getting a distorted view of it, the appeals judges suggested that was hopeless. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 Water could enter into the rear-view camera which can cause the rear-view camera image to appear on the display or show a distorted image. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Importantly, these feelings are often not based on reality, but rather on distorted perceptions of one’s abilities. Mark Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Meta, which boasts a stable of apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, first launched a video generation tool in 2022, called Make-A-Video, which produced noticeably artificial, distorted and blurry content but was nevertheless a significant achievement at the time. Robert Hart, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 But the band, like Snail Mail in the days of yore, reminds us that the distorted chug of slightly unsettling indie rock is just about the perfect soundtrack to teenage girlhood. Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 This inspired an album of thick, plodding instrumentals and distorted, distant vocals, with sparse lyrics that rely on haunting repetitions and revisitations. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024 There were also men in distorted Halloween masks and ballcaps brandishing colorful toy guns. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distorted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of distorted was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near distorted

Cite this Entry

“Distorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distorted. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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