English Reference
adjective · verb

distorted

adj. · v.
US /dɪˈstɔɹtəd/ UK /dɪstˈɔːtɪd/ dis·tort·ed

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.twisted or pulled out of its natural, normal shape so that it looks strange.

    adj.physically misshapen or deformed; having a shape that is twisted away from its original or natural state.

    Simple

    The reflection in the old, curved mirror looked distorted and strange.

    In context

    The heat from the fire left the plastic casing distorted, making it impossible to fit the pieces back together correctly.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.changed in a way that makes something untrue or hard to understand, like a story or a sound.

    adj.misrepresented or altered so as to lose accuracy; often applied to facts, statistics, or electronic signals.

    Simple

    The newspaper gave a distorted account of what actually happened at the protest.

    In context

    The witness provided a distorted version of the events, likely influenced by the leading questions asked during the initial interview.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.the past tense of 'distort' — when something was pulled out of shape or changed to be untrue.

    v.the past tense and past participle of the transitive verb 'distort', indicating the completed action of twisting or misrepresenting.

    Simple

    The loud music distorted the sound coming through the small speakers.

    In context

    The heavy gravitational pull of the star distorted the path of the light passing near it, a phenomenon predicted by general relativity.

Petals and hearts were photoshopped on to the then-Labour leader by the "Milifandom", a movement of young, mostly female, voters sharing romanticised images on Twitter to protest against Miliband's "distorted media portrayal".

BBC News· 20 Aug 2026

Among them, the height to volume model was applied to heavily browsed willows with unusual growth forms, even though the model was not designed for such distorted shapes.

ScienceDaily· 14 Jun 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated