distortion

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dis·tor·tion

(dĭ-stôr′shən)

a. The act or an instance of distorting.

b. The condition of being distorted.

2. A statement that twists fact; a misrepresentation.

a. The alteration of the original form of a signal representing an image, a sound, a waveform, or other information.

b. A visible or audible effect of such an alteration, such as the warping of an image or noise in an audio recording.

4. Psychology The modification of unconscious impulses into forms acceptable by conscious or dreaming perception.

dis·tor′tion·al, dis·tor′tion·ar′y, dis·tor′tive adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

distortion

(dɪˈstɔːʃən)

1. the act or an instance of distorting or the state of being distorted

2. something that is distorted

3. (General Physics) an aberration of a lens or optical system in which the magnification varies with the lateral distance from the axis

4. (Electronics) electronics

a. an undesired change in the shape of an electromagnetic wave or signal

b. the result of such a change in waveform, esp a loss of clarity in radio reception or sound reproduction

5. (Psychology) psychol a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality

6. (Psychoanalysis) psychoanal the disguising of the meaning of unconscious thoughts so that they may appear in consciousness, e.g. in dreams

disˈtortional adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dis•tor•tion

(dɪˈstɔr ʃən)

n.

1. an act or instance of distorting.

2. the state of being distorted.

3. anything distorted, as an image or electronic signal.

4. an aberration of a lens or system of lenses in which the magnification of the object varies with the lateral distance from the axis of the lens.

[1575–85; < Latin]

dis•tor′tion•al, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	distortion - a change for the worse deformation damage, impairment, harm - the occurrence of a change for the worse warping, warp - a moral or mental distortion
	2.	distortion - a shape resulting from distortion distorted shape shape, form - the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance; "geometry is the mathematical science of shape" crookedness, torsion, tortuosity, tortuousness, contortion - a tortuous and twisted shape or position; "they built a tree house in the tortuosities of its boughs"; "the acrobat performed incredible contortions" buckle, warp - a shape distorted by twisting or folding gnarl, knot - something twisted and tight and swollen; "their muscles stood out in knots"; "the old man's fists were two great gnarls"; "his stomach was in knots"
	3.	distortion - an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image optical aberration, aberration chromatic aberration - an optical aberration in which the image has colored fringes optical phenomenon - a physical phenomenon related to or involving light spherical aberration - an optical aberration resulting in a distorted image
	4.	distortion - a change (usually undesired) in the waveform of an acoustic or analog electrical signal; the difference between two measurements of a signal (as between the input and output signal); "heavy metal guitar players use vacuum tube amplifiers to produce extreme distortion" acoustic phenomenon - a physical phenomenon associated with the production or transmission of sound electrical phenomenon - a physical phenomenon involving electricity amplitude distortion, nonlinear distortion - distortion that occurs when the output signal does not have a linear relation to the input signal
	5.	distortion - the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean overrefinement, twisting, straining, torture falsification, misrepresentation - a willful perversion of facts
	6.	distortion - the mistake of misrepresenting the facts error, fault, mistake - a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention; "he made a bad mistake"; "she was quick to point out my errors"; "I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults"

distortion

noun

1. misrepresentation, bias, slant, perversion, falsification, colouring He accused reporters of wilful distortion.

2. deformity, bend, twist, warp, buckle, contortion, malformation, crookedness, twistedness the gargoyle-like distortion of her face

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

تَحْريف، تَشْويه

zkreslenídeformace

fordrejningforvanskningforvrængning

Verzerrung ZerrbildEnstellungVerdrehung Verformung

στρέβλωση

deformación distorsión

vääristäminenvääristelyvääristymävääristyminen

déformation vice

eltorzításmeghamisítás

aflögun

distorsione storcimento deformazione

fordreiing

коверкание

boz ma

失真歪曲

distortion

[dɪsˈtɔːʃən] N [of shape] → deformación f; [of sound, image] → distorsión f (fig) → distorsión f; [of truth] → tergiversación f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

distortion

[dɪˈstɔː^rʃ^ən] n

[truth, facts, statement, reality] → déformation f; [figures] → falsification f

[sound, shape] → distorsion f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

distortion

n → Verzerrung f (also Phys); (of truth, words) → Verdrehung f; (of reality, history) → verzerrte Darstellung; (of facts) → verzerrte Darstellung, Verdrehung f; (of judgement) → Trübung f, → Beeinträchtigung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

distortion

[dɪsˈtɔːʃ/ən] n (gen) → distorsione f; (of truth) → alterazione f; (of facts) → travisamento (Tech) → deformazione f

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

distort

(diˈstoːt) verb

1. to make or become twisted out of shape. Her face was distorted with pain; Metal distorts under stress.

2. to make (sound) indistinct and unnatural. Her voice sounded distorted on the telephone.

diˈstortion (-ʃən) noun

dis·tor·tion

n. distorsión, deformación, desfiguración.

References in classic literature ?

Now, was this distortion, this capacity for a perverted way of viewing things, a special or accidental case, or is such a general rule?"

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In the place where it had been was something that was fearful in its strained distortion and in the sounds that came from it.

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If we construct this hypothetical system for each appearance of the object in turn, the system corresponding to a given appearance x will be independent of any distortion due to the medium beyond x, and will only embody such distortion as is due to the medium between x and the object.

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It was a crowded, ill-lighted hall, barn-like in its proportions, and the smoke-laden air gave a peculiar distortion to everything.

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- There was something either in that smile or the recollections it awakened that was particularly displeasing to her, for she suddenly assumed again that proud, chilly look that had so unspeakably roused my aversion at church - a look of repellent scorn, so easily assumed, and so entirely without the least distortion of a single feature, that, while there, it seemed like the natural expression of the face, and was the more provoking to me, because I could not think it affected.

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In due course they were moved up, having learned little but a cheerful effrontery in the distortion of truth, which was possibly of greater service to them in after life than an ability to read Latin at sight.

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If you have ever seen a collie smile you may have some idea of Woola's facial distortion.

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But although Hop-Frog, through the distortion of his legs, could move only with great pain and difficulty along a road or floor, the prodigious muscular power which nature seemed to have bestowed upon his arms, by way of compensation for deficiency in the lower limbs, enabled him to perform many feats of wonderful dexterity, where trees or ropes were in question, or any thing else to climb.

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Such are the views which, with much passionate distortion of his thin features and wagging of his thin, goat-like beard, he poured into our ears all the way from Southampton to Manaos.

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Archer saw no trace of the slight distortion left by her stroke.

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Coupled with this distortion of the face, this Hippocratic smile, or 'risus sardonicus,' as the old writers called it, what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?"

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She had no fear of the dear old grandfather, in whose love for her this disease of the brain had been engendered; but the man she had seen that night, wrapt in the game of chance, lurking in her room, and counting the money by the glimmering light, seemed like another creature in his shape, a monstrous distortion of his image, a something to recoil from, and be the more afraid of, because it bore a likeness to him, and kept close about her, as he did.