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Glite Dictionary
sinuosity

sinuosity

8.7
A path with many curves, like a river or road
  • noun
  • /ˌsɪn.juˈɑː.sɪ.ti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sinuosidad
  • The sinuosity of the river made it challenging to navigate by boat.

Examples

  • So it's the formation of these Oxbow lakes that control the sinuosity of a river.

  • Finally, the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Foraging (OUF) process features both velocity autocorrelation time scale (a measure of path sinuosity) and restricted space use 41,42.

    Academic text (2018)

  • This has sinuosities in it, but not tight meanders like terrestrial rivers often have.

  • And the sensual sinuosities of Igor Stravinsky will be wasted on the one whose sensation is in eclipse.

    Academic text (1993)

  • In addition to home range and crossing time, two other movement parameters, the velocity autocorrelation time scale (a measure of path sinuosity) and mean distance traveled per day were also calculated by the OUF model.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Not content to ridicule Nixon's verbal ties ("Let me make this perfectly clear." "Make no mistake about it.") and his mental sinuosities, Roth degrades and murders him.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Canals also differed considerably in length, width, depth, gradient, roughness, sinuosity, cross-sectional shape, and wetted perimeter, which is the distance from the surface of the water down one side of the canal, across the bottom, and up the other side to the waterline.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Hikers often enjoy the sinuosity of the trails that wind through the forest.

  • The sinuosity of the pathway along the coast offered stunning views at every turn.

Synonyms

curviness
vssinuosity
1 4.4

Soft rounded shapes on a body, design, or object

concerns winding geographical paths rather than object shapes
sinuousness
vssinuosity
8.0

A winding shape in a river or road that curves

has identical meaning but is an alternative form
tortuosity
vssinuosity
  • Specialized
9.9

A path or shape that bends a lot

focuses on smooth winding curves rather than many tight twists
curvilinearity
vssinuosity
9.3

The quality of having lines that bend instead of being straight

applies to winding natural routes rather than just curved lines

Antonyms

directness
1 3.9

A straight movement toward a goal without turning

straightness
1 1.0

The condition of having no curves, bends, or angles

How Winding

tortuosity
  • Specialized
9.9
sinuosity
  • Specialized
8.7
curvature
  • Specialized
8 5.4
straightness
1 1.0

Surface Forms

sinuosity singular
sinuosities plural

Morphology

sinuosity = sinuous (transparent) = sinuous + ity

Derived from the adjective 'sinuous' with the nominalizing suffix '-ity' (regular -ous -> -osity spelling change), so the noun means 'the quality of being sinuous'.

Etymology

The word sinuosity comes from the Latin word sinus, meaning 'a curve' or 'a fold', and is the same root as sinuous, which describes smooth, snake-like turns. So sinuosity is the quality of having many bends or curves.