contortionist
/kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/
contortionist means an acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions. It carries an Arena rating of 1438, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, contortionist ranks #910 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,331 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #2,337 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,965 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words.
contortionist is pronounced /kənˈtɔː(ɹ)ʃənɪst/.
Why “contortionist” is a great word
A performer who twists the body into unnatural positions, or, figuratively, one who twists the meaning of words. From *contortion* (from Latin *contortiōnem*, the action of twisting or bending, from *contorquēre*, 'to twist together') + the agent noun suffix *-ist* (meaning 'one who practices or is concerned with'), first recorded in English in 1841. Unlike an acrobat, whose art is one of flight and balance, or a sophist, who specializes in fallacious logic, a contortionist is devoted to the pure torsion of form or sense. It is the spine curled into a hoop, the limbs knotted like wet rope, the truth wrestled into a pleasing, empty shape—the human capacity to endure profound discomfort for the sake of spectacle, a testament to the will that refuses the straight line.
noun
- An acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions.
- One who twists words and phrases.
Words closest in meaning
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