Twisted

How to spell twisted

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce twisted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does twisted mean?

1. adjectiveBent, coiled, or turned out of its normal straight shape.
2. verbPast tense of twist: turned, wound, or wrenched something around.
3. adjectiveShowing a warped, cruel, or unhealthy way of thinking.

Twisted in a sentence

• adjective

  The storm left the fence posts twisted and leaning.

• verb

  She twisted the cap off the bottle with one hand.

• adjective

  The film has a dark, twisted sense of humour.

• adjective

  A twisted length of wire blocked the drain.

• verb

  He twisted the wires together before sealing the joint.

• adjective

  Only a twisted mind could plan something so cruel.

Where does twisted come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the verb 'twist', which traces back to a Germanic root tied to the number two, the same family that gives us 'twine', 'twin' and 'between'. The underlying idea was of two strands wound or doubled around each other, and Old English used related forms such as 'twist' for a divided or forked object. By the Middle Ages the verb meant to wind threads together, and from there it spread to any turning, wringing or distorting motion. The form 'twisted' is simply the past tense and past participle, made with the regular '-ed' ending, and from the late 1500s it also worked as an adjective for anything bent out of true. In modern use it stretched further into a figurative sense for a warped or cruel personality, keeping that core image of something turned away from its natural straight shape.

How the word is built

• twist (to turn or wind together)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)