Noun: distortion di'stor-shun
- A shape resulting from distortion
"The distortion of the image in the funhouse mirror created a comical effect";
- distorted shape
- A change for the worse
"The distortion of facts in the report misled the public";
- deformation
- The mistake of misrepresenting the facts
"The reporter's distortion of the events led to a public apology"
- Excessive elaboration or subtlety, often leading to distortion of meaning
"The critic accused the author of distortion in his overly complex prose";
- overrefinement, straining, torture
- An optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image
"The cheap lens produced significant distortion at the edges of the photograph";
- aberration, optical aberration
- 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"
Derived forms: distortions
Type of: acoustic phenomenon, damage, electrical phenomenon, error, falsification, fault, form, harm, impairment, misrepresentation, mistake, optical phenomenon, shape
Encyclopedia: Distortion