To twist is to turn, wind, coil, or bend into a spiral shape: She twisted her hair into a bun; he twisted around in his chair to see who was behind him. To contort is to bend or twist into an unnatural, distorted, or grotesque position or shape: He had to contort his hands to play certain chords. Contort is most commonly used of the body, and particularly the face (a face hideously contorted by rage). It suggests an involuntary action caused by force, pain, or overpowering emotion (Pain contorted his features; her limbs had been horribly contorted in order to fit her body into the small space). Contort is also used figuratively, as when a person contorts or uncomfortably rearranges herself to fit into a social role or group.

The adjectives kind and gracious both imply a sympathetic attitude toward others, and a willingness to do good or give pleasure. Kind suggests a deep-seated characteristic shown either habitually or on occasion by considerate behavior: a kind father, a kind gesture. Gracious suggests a more formal kindness and generosity that stems from impeccable courtesy, as much as from a good heart (a gracious host, gracious hospitality). In some contexts, gracious refers to kindness from a superior to a subordinate—God save our gracious queen!—and may imply condescension. Another way of looking at it is that gracious suggests kindness that is not necessarily merited, so that being kind itself becomes an act of notable generosity. A gracious loser of an election might be praised for giving a gracious concession speech, congratulating the winner.

To meddle is to involve oneself inappropriately, and often aggressively, in someone else’s business: She'd had about enough of her in-laws meddling in her personal life. If someone interferes in your personal life, they are meddling. However, interfere has several other dictionary definitions which are not synonymous with meddle. These meanings all involve interrupting, delaying, or hindering some action, as when loud music interferes with your studying, or an electrical current interferes with radio reception. Note that with these senses of interfere, a thing can interfere with another thing, whereas meddling almost always implies human agency and intention. Of course, larger entities like governments are also described as meddling—in the affairs of another country, for example.