What does sinuous mean?
Word: Sinuous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Sinuous means moving or bending in smooth, graceful curves.
Synonyms: serpentine
How do you spell sinuous?
Syllables: sin - u - ous
Tricky part: The u before the ending is the letter that goes missing, because the sounds run together.
Watch out for: sinous, sinious, sinueous
Memory tip: Picture a river making a U-turn: the U sits exactly where the word bends.
Sinuous in a sentence
Example 1: The Kathak dancer's arms traced sinuous patterns in the air.
Example 2: A sinuous stream ran the length of the valley.
Example 3: Vines climbed the old wall in long, sinuous lines.
Fun Fact
Latin sinus meant a bend or fold. The same word gave mathematics its sine, through a famous slip in translation.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. languid 2. opaque 3. sinnuous 4. tranquil
a) following a line with many gentle bends
b) not letting light through
c) moving slowly and without energy
d) calm and peaceful
Show answer
a) following a line with many gentle bends. One n too many spoils this word; languid, tranquil and opaque are all correct.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
s_nu_us
a) y, o
b) i, o
c) e, o
d) i, a
Show answer
b) i, o. The opening is the short vowel of sit, and the adjective ending is the one in joyous.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
A niosusu path led down through the tea gardens to the river.
a) sincere
b) serious
c) sinuous
d) spacious
Show answer
c) sinuous. With two u's and two s's in the jumble, one choice is left.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word sinuous as used in the sentence:
The sinuous road to Munnar made several passengers ask the driver to slow down.
a) rigid
b) winding
c) abrupt
d) dusty
Show answer
b) winding. A road that makes passengers ask for less speed is full of bends.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which subject would a writer most naturally call sinuous?
a) a dancer's flowing arm movements
b) a table of square numbers
c) a heavy iron gate at a factory
d) a brick wall built in a neat row
Show answer
a) a dancer's flowing arm movements
2. A gymnast's ribbon makes a sinuous shape in the air. What would you see?
a) a line of soft loops and waves
b) a tight knot that stays in place
c) a sharp zigzag of straight edges
d) a stiff line held perfectly flat
Show answer
a) a line of soft loops and waves
