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Tortuous vs Inscrutable - What's the difference?

tortuous | inscrutable |

As adjectives the difference between tortuous and inscrutable

is that tortuous is twisted; having many turns; convoluted while inscrutable is difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom or interpret.

As a noun inscrutable is

one who or that which is inscrutable; a person, etc that cannot be comprehended.

tortuous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Twisted; having many turns; convoluted.
  • * 2007 October 6, “Slogging on the Home Front”, editorial in ,
    • It still takes almost half a year for the average veteran’s claim for disability benefits to be decided in a tortuous process that can involve four separate hearings.
  • * Macaulay
    • The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on the side of every hill where the copsewood grew thick.
  • (obsolete) injurious; tortious
  • (astrology) oblique; applied to the six signs of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Gemini) that ascend most rapidly and obliquely
  • * Skeat
    • Infortunate ascendent tortuous .

    Usage notes

    * This term has strongly negative connotations, perhaps transferred from the similar-sounding adjective torturous . * Not to be confused with the legal term tortious .

    inscrutable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom or interpret.
    • His inscrutable theories would years later become the foundation of a whole new science.
  • * 2007 , Tracy Jordan'' (Tracy Morgan), ''30 Rock :
    • She called my vanity license plate inscrutable ! 'ICU81MI'? Hilarious!

    Synonyms

    * (difficult to comprehend) ineffable

    Derived terms

    * inscrutability * inscrutableness * inscrutably

    See also

    * inexplorable

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who or that which is inscrutable; a person, etc. that cannot be comprehended.