What does "distorted" mean?

1. (out of shape) twisted or pulled out of its natural, normal shape so that it looks strange. 2. (false or misleading) changed in a way that makes something untrue or hard to understand, like a story or a sound. 3. (past action of changing shape) the past tense of 'distort' — when something was pulled out of shape or changed to be untrue.

distorted

adj. · v.

US //dɪˈstɔɹtəd// UK //dɪstˈɔːtɪd// dis·tort·ed

1 out of shape (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

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

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

Example

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

Example

The heat from the fire left the plastic casing distorted, making it impossible to fit the pieces back together correctly.
- perfect
- straight
2 false or misleading (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

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

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

Example

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

Example

The witness provided a distorted version of the events, likely influenced by the leading questions asked during the initial interview.
- misleading
- skewed
- garbled
- accurate
- clear

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3 past action of changing shape (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

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

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

Example

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

Example

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