Tortuous-Torturous | Commonly Confused Words
Learn languages with fun

Master confusing words with ease

Tortuous vs. Torturous

Tortuous

Having many twists and turns; complex or intricate in structure or path

Examples:

The mountain path was tortuous and exhausting.Negotiations took a tortuous route to reach a deal.His tortuous arguments baffled the entire class.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Torturous

/ˈtɔːtʃərəs/
Extremely painful or causing great suffering

Examples:

The road to the summit was a torturous journey.Her decision led to a torturous internal conflict.Reading the dense document was mentally torturous.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Ways to tell them apart:

etymology
  • Remember that tortuous has the word route hidden inside it, and it describes something with many twists and turns, like a road.
  • Think of torture when you see torturous because it relates to something that causes intense pain or suffering.
  • Both words start with tort-, but tortuous is more about complex paths and torturous is about painful experiences.
  • Imagine getting lost on a tortuous path versus feeling discomfort from a torturous situation.
  • You may need endurance for something tortuous, but you need resistance to withstand something torturous.
© 2025 Lithium Lab Pte Ltd