sinuous

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sin·u·ous

(sĭn′yo͞o-əs)

adj.

1. Characterized by many curves or turns; winding: a sinuous stream.

2. Characterized by supple and lithe movements: the sinuous grace of a dancer.

3. Sinuate: a sinuous leaf.

[From Latin sinuōsus, from sinus, curve.]

sin′u·ous·ly adv.

sin′u·ous·ness n.

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.

sinuous

(ˈsɪnjʊəs)

adj

1. full of turns or curves; intricate

2. devious; not straightforward

3. supple; lithe

Also: sinuate

[C16: from Latin sinuōsus winding, from sinus a curve]

ˈsinuously adv

ˈsinuousness n

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

sin•u•ous

(ˈsɪn yu əs)

adj.

1. having many curves or turns; winding: a sinuous path.

2. characterized by graceful curving motions: a sinuous dance.

3. Bot. sinuate, as a leaf.

[1570–80; < Latin sinuōsus. See sinus, -ous]

sin′u•ous•ly, adv.

sin′u•ous•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

sinuous - curved or curving in and out; "wiggly lines"

sinuate, wiggly

curved, curving - having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend; "the curved tusks of a walrus"; "his curved lips suggested a smile but his eyes were hard"

sinuous

adjective (Literary)

1. supple, flexible, lithe, graceful, agile, slinky, limber, pliable, pliant, lissom(e), loose-jointed, loose-limbed the sinuous approach of a snake

2. curving, winding, meandering, crooked, coiling, tortuous, undulating, serpentine, curvy, lithe, twisty, mazy I drove along sinuous mountain roads.

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

sinuous

adjective

Repeatedly curving in alternate directions:

anfractuous, flexuous, meandrous, serpentine, snaky, tortuous, winding.

Translations

contorto curva sinuosit...sinuoso

sinuoso

sinuous

[ˈsɪnjʊəs] ADJ (gen) → sinuoso; [road] → serpenteante, con muchos rodeos

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

sinuous

[ˈsɪnjʊəs] adj

[movement, walk, grace] → sinueux/euse

[road, river] → sinueux/euse

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sinuous

adj (lit, fig) → gewunden; motion of snake → schlängelnd attr; dancing etc → geschmeidig, schlangenartig; the river follows a sinuous course through the trees → der Fluss windet sich or schlängelt sich zwischen den Bäumen hindurch

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

sinuous

[ˈsɪnjʊəs] adj (course, route) → sinuoso/a, tortuoso/a; (dance, movement) → flessuoso/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sinuous

a. sinuoso-a, ondulado-a.

References in classic literature ?

Even the Ape-man lacked that inward sinuous curve of the back which makes the human figure so graceful.

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His hand was reaching upward for the stern when I saw a sleek, sinuous body shoot from the depths below.

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Several minutes passed, and, just as abruptly the apparition reappeared--not alone the head this time, but the entire sinuous form as it glided into the room and came to rest in the middle of the floor.

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Low growls vibrated his heavy jowls and his great rage transmitted to his sinuous tail a sharp, whiplike motion; but realizing from past experience the futility of long distance argument with the ape-man, he turned presently and struck off into the tangled vegetation which hid him from the view of his tormentor.

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Avoiding the obstructions gave it the sinuous movement of a serpent.

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You have noticed, of course, the peculiar sinuous way in which Lady Arabella moves--well, I feel certain that the white thing that I saw in the wood was the mistress of Diana's Grove!"

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First it was her arms that wound themselves about my neck, long, sinuous, and supple as the tentacles of some vile monster; then, as I struggled, her thumbs were on my windpipe like pads of steel.

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We moved along the sinuous gravel walks, with the great concourse of girls and young men, and suddenly a domed and filigreed white temple, starred over and over and over again with brilliant gas jets, burst upon us like a fallen sun.

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They are ten or twelve feet in height when standing erect; their arms are very short and fashioned after the manner of an elephant's trunk, being sinuous; the body is hairless and ghoulish blue except for a broad band of white which encircles the protruding, single eye, the pupil, iris and ball of which are dead white.

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Here the ape-man unloosed his grass rope from about his neck, and as Numa stood above the body of the boar, challenging head erect, he dropped the sinuous noose about the maned neck, drawing the stout strands taut with a sudden jerk.

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Instead a lusty cry for greater speed ahead urged the sinuous muscles gliding beneath the sleek brown hides; and when Muda Saffir rose to the surface with a cry for help upon his lips Ninaka shouted back to him in derision, consigning his carcass to the belly of the nearest crocodile.

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She walked stiffly--for the moment she had lost the sinuous grace of movement which had been one of her many fascinations.