distorted

adjective

dis·​tort·​ed di-ˈstȯr-təd 

: 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

Synonyms

• deformed
• malformed
• misshapen
• monstrous
• shapeless

Examples of distorted in a Sentence

surgery to correct a distorted foot

Recent Examples on the Web

Some fans say folk purists were booing because Dylan was playing electric, while others say the ruckus was merely over the distorted sound. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024

The clip, with its booming, distorted bass, went viral and quickly racked up almost 9 million uses on the platform. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024

Mayfield is a two-time Grammy Award and Billboard Music Award Winning artist who has transitioned from trumpet-heavy performances to turntables and distorted guitars; Andrews, an Album of the Year Grammy Award Winner who has come into his own as the lead vocalist of his band. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

The urgency of those concerns have already proven out, from racist algorithms wrongly landing people in jail to the many distorted abuses of digital blackface. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above