full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked

a tortuous path.

not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; intricate; circuitous

tortuous negotiations lasting for months.

deceitfully indirect or morally crooked, as proceedings, methods, or policy; devious.

adjective

direct , straight , untwisted , easy , straightforward , uncomplicated , uninvolved

adjective

anfractuous , bent , circuitous , convoluted , crooked , curved , flexuous , indirect , involute , labyrinthine , mazy , meandering , meandrous , roundabout , serpentine , sinuous , snaky , twisting , vermiculate , winding , zigzagnotes:tortuous is \'winding , full of twists and turns\' and torturous (based on \'torture\') is \'painful , characterized by suffering\' , ambiguous , cunning , deceptive , devious , involved , misleading , perverse , trickynotes:tortuous is \'winding , circular , oblique , complex , complicated , deceitful , sinuate , spiral , zigzag