Tortuous
hardNegative toneTOR-choo-us
adjective
Definition
Full of twists and turns; excessively complex
Memory hook
TORT-U-OUS: full of TWISTS and TURNS like a TORTILLA being rolled — winding and complex.
Word roots
Learning roots unlocks whole word families. Study common GRE root words.
Examples
“The tortuous mountain road was dangerous at night.”
“His tortuous logic was difficult to follow.”
Test yourself
Fill in the blank with the right word:
“The ______ mountain road was dangerous at night.”
Show answer
tortuous
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Tortuous is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "winding" or "sinuous" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "straight".
Related GRE Words
meandering
Following a winding course; rambling and unfocused
involved
Complicated or difficult to understand; intricate
abstruse
Difficult to understand; obscure
recondite
Little known; abstruse; dealing with very profound, difficult, or specialized subject matter
convoluted
extremely complex and intricate; hard to follow
enigma
A puzzling person or thing; something mysterious or inexplicable
Master tortuous and 1,000+ GRE words
Learn through stories, practice with real GRE questions, and never forget with spaced repetition.