distort
/dɪˈstɔːt/- 1.
To change the shape or appearance of something so that it looks wrong or unnatural. The result no longer matches what it should look like.
- Heat can distort the metal frame over time.
- The funhouse mirror distorts your reflection completely.
- Extreme pressure distorted the shape of the plastic bottle.
- 2.
To change facts, ideas, or someone's words in a way that makes them inaccurate or misleading. This can be done on purpose or by accident.
- The report distorted the facts to make the company look better.
- Don't distort what I said — I never agreed to that.
- Bias can distort a researcher's conclusions.
Adinary Nuance
Distort, warp, skew, and misrepresent all describe changing something from its true form, but each fits a different context. Warp focuses on physical damage — wood warps from moisture, implying a lasting deformation. Skew is mostly a data and statistics word: a biased sample skews the results in one direction. Misrepresent is the formal, often legal alternative for the informational sense of distort; you can misrepresent something simply by framing it wrongly, without actively changing the words. Distort is the most versatile of the four — it works for both physical objects and information, and it carries a stronger sense of active, deliberate bending than the others.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- Bóp méo, làm méo lệch
- Spanish
- Distorsionar
- Chinese
- 扭曲
- Japanese
- 歪める
- Korean
- 왜곡하다
Etymology
From Latin "distorquēre," meaning "to twist apart," combining "dis-" (apart) and "torquēre" (to twist). The word entered English in the late 16th century, originally used for physical bending and later extended to information and meaning.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between 'distort' and 'misrepresent'?
- 'Distort' suggests the original content was actively bent or changed — facts are twisted so they no longer match reality. 'Misrepresent' means you gave a false impression, which can happen even if you quoted someone accurately but left out important context. 'Distort' is stronger and more concrete; 'misrepresent' is more formal and often used in legal or academic writing.
- Is 'distort' used in academic and IELTS writing?
- Yes, 'distort' is common in both IELTS and academic writing, especially in essays about media, politics, research, or history. Phrases like 'distort the facts,' 'distort public perception,' and 'distort the findings' appear frequently in academic texts.
- What is the noun form of 'distort'?
- The noun form is 'distortion.' For example: 'The media coverage was full of distortion.' The adjective form is 'distorted,' as in 'a distorted view of events.'
- Can 'distort' describe sounds?
- Yes. Audio and sound are common contexts for 'distort.' A damaged speaker can distort sound, and 'distortion' is a standard technical term in music and audio engineering for a signal that is altered or clipped.