Definition

1. Verb:
   • To wiggle; to twist sinuously: To move the body, especially the hips and torso, with smooth, bending, and twisting motions. This often describes a deliberate, exaggerated, or seductive way of walking or dancing.
   • To be affected; to put on airs: To behave or speak in an artificially exaggerated or overly delicate manner to attract attention or appear refined.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy uốn éo trên sàn nhảy. (She wiggled on the dance floor.)
  • Đừng uốn éo khi nói chuyện, hãy tự nhiên đi. (Don't be so affected when you talk; be natural.)
  • Con rắn uốn éo trong cỏ. (The snake twisted sinuously in the grass.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a negative or critical connotation when describing human behavior, implying artificiality, pretense, or excessive effort to be attractive or refined.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe speech or writing that is overly ornate and not straightforward.

Variants and Related Words

• Uốn lượn (v): To wind, to meander (used for rivers, roads, or more general graceful curves without the negative connotation of affectation).
  • Con đường uốn lượn qua đồi. (The road winds through the hills.)

Synonyms

• To wriggle: To twist and turn the body with quick, short movements.
• To writhe: To make twisting, squirming movements (often due to pain).
• To be mannered: To behave with affected or exaggerated manners.

Related Idioms

• Nói năng uốn éo: To speak in an affected, overly delicate, or insincere manner.
  • Tôi không thích nghe những lời nói năng uốn éo. (I don't like listening to affected speech.)