contort
To twist something out of its normal shape.
contort in a sentence
- The gymnast could contort her body into shapes that made the audience gasp.
- The balloon artist can contort long balloons into dogs, swords and twisty crowns.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to contort?
- Astraighten
- Brelax
- Ctwist
- Dsmooth
Show the answer
C: twist. The other three mean the opposite of contort.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to contort?
- Abend
- Bstraighten
- Cwarp
- Dtwist
Show the answer
B: straighten. The other three mean nearly the same as contort.
Words that mean something similar
twist, bend, warp
Words that mean the opposite
straighten, relax, smooth
More words about movement & action
- cower: To crouch down and shrink back in fear.
- crumple: To crush something into creases and folds.
- dawdle: To walk or do something slowly because you are wasting time.
- deft: Quick and skilful, especially with your hands.
- demolish: To knock something down completely.
- descend: To go or climb down.
- devour: To eat something quickly and greedily.
- dexterous: Very skilful and quick with your hands.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test