distortion
Americannoun
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an act or instance of distorting.
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the state of being distorted distorted or the relative degree or amount by which something is distorted distorted or distorts.
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anything that is distorted, distorted, as a sound, image, fact, etc.
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Optics. 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.
noun
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the act or an instance of distorting or the state of being distorted
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something that is distorted
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an aberration of a lens or optical system in which the magnification varies with the lateral distance from the axis
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electronics
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an undesired change in the shape of an electromagnetic wave or signal
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the result of such a change in waveform, esp a loss of clarity in radio reception or sound reproduction
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psychol a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality
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psychoanal the disguising of the meaning of unconscious thoughts so that they may appear in consciousness, e.g. in dreams
Other Word Forms
- distortional adjective
- distortionary adjective
- nondistortion noun
- overdistortion noun
Etymology
Origin of distortion
First recorded in 1575–85, distortion is from the Latin word distortiōn- (stem of distortiō ). See distort, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Addressing external imbalances would benefit both the U.S. and the global economy, she said, adding that policy distortions that contribute to those imbalances should be removed.
He must address problems including "distortions" in competition and export controls on critical rare earths – according to the Federation of German Industries.
From BBC
"The distortion tends to be highest among younger respondents."
From BBC
A dollop of tax reform, a big dose of deregulation and an AI investment boom are allowing the economy to cope with the tariff distortions and uncertainty.
The instrument also paved the way to an aesthetics of electricity—feedback, distortion, fuzz, sheer volume—that led to such genres as heavy metal, punk, grunge and shoegaze.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
