DEFORM Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'deform' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deform are contort , distort , and warp . While all these words mean "to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting," deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth. // a face deformed by hatred

Q: How are the words 'distort' and 'contort' related as synonyms of 'deform'?

Distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result. // the odd camera angle distorts the figure // disease had contorted her body

Q: When can 'warp' be used instead of 'deform'?

In some situations, the words warp and deform are roughly equivalent. However, warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane. // warped floorboards

deform

verb

di-ˈfȯrm

Definition of deform next

as in to distort

to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition a cynic whose face seems to be permanently deformed by a sneer

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How does the verb deform contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deform are contort, distort, and warp. While all these words mean "to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting," deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

How are the words distort and contort related as synonyms of deform?

Distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result.

the odd camera angle distorts the figure

disease had contorted her body

When can warp be used instead of deform?

In some situations, the words warp and deform are roughly equivalent. However, warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of deform Now the whole organism is something that’s been deformed because of colonialism. —

Tomris Laffly, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024 Parks has in forming and deforming genre, drawing on a wide broadband of sounds while retaining her own vivid style. —

Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024 The most unnerving sequence, however, doesn’t involve the grotesque use of deforming prosthetics or digital mutilation. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024 In patients with sickle cell, the namesake cells form when mutant hemoglobin proteins clump together into fibers, deforming red blood cells’ usual saucer shape into a curved sickle, which prevents them from effectively delivering oxygen to tissues. —

Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deform