The bus ran on the long and winding road.
Source: tatoeba (42806)
Winding
/ˈwɪndɪŋ/
Synonyms for "winding" (146 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (30)
Adjective(1 words)
Strong matches (43)
Related words (73)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: twist, aberrant, aberrative, ambages, ambagious.
- Sentence evidence is available for winding, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "winding".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "winding"
Keep "winding" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "winding" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "winding", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "winding" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
16 entriesMore specific
23 entriesShowing 16 of 23 words.
Collocations
10 entrieswind turbinewinding clockwinding coilwinding corridorwinding mechanismwinding pathwinding riverwinding roadwinding staircasewinding yarn
Inflections
6 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
44 translations across 22 languages.
Bulgarian
3 entries- извиващ adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- лъкатушен adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- намотка noun (something wound around another thing)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 曲折 adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Finnish
4 entries- kiemurteleva adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- mutkikas adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- mutkitteleva adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- kela noun (something wound around another thing)
French
2 entries- sinueux adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- tortueux adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
German
4 entries- biegend adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- gewunden adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- schlängelnd adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- Wicklung noun (something wound around another thing)
Hawaiian
1 entries- piʻopiʻo adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Hungarian
1 entries- kanyargós adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Japanese
1 entries- 曲がりくねっている adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Latin
3 entries- sinuōsus adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- tortilis adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- tortus adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Macedonian
2 entries- кри́вулест adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- на́мотка noun (something wound around another thing)
Māori
2 entries- kōpikopiko adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- pikopiko adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- svingete adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- svingete adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Occitan
3 entries- bestòrt adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- sinuós adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- tòrt adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Persian
1 entries- پیچاپیچ adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- kromm adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Portuguese
4 entries- sinuoso adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- tortuoso adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- enrolada noun (something wound around another thing)
- enrolado noun (something wound around another thing)
Russian
4 entries- вью́щийся adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- изви́листый adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- петля́ющий adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
- обмо́тка noun (something wound around another thing)
Samoan
1 entries- piʻopiʻo adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- lùbach adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Tagalog
1 entries- liko-liko adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Yoruba
1 entries- kọ́lọkọ̀lọ adj (sinuous, turning, or twisting in form)
Sample sentences
56 total sentences available.
I'm getting tired of driving on this winding road.
Source: tatoeba (54102)
Life is a long and winding road.
Source: tatoeba (270590)
We walked down a narrow and winding path.
Source: tatoeba (681700)
Showing 4 of 56 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "winding"?
Closest matches include twist, aberrant, aberrative, ambages, ambagious.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "winding"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.