Definition of "distorting"

It's like looking in a distorting mirror at the fair.

2001, Karel Jan Vollers, Twist & build: creating non-orthogonal architecture, page 86

However, the procedure has been applied only to those below the threshold and who might move up, and not to those just above, who might move down. This has had a very distorting effect on the distributions.

2008, House of Commons: Children, Schools and Families Committee, “Cambridge Assessment”, in Testing and Assessment: Oral and written evidence, volume 2, page 215

This is somewhat counter-intuitive, and indeed goes against the double-dividend argument that in economies with very distorting tax systems we should raise pollution taxes and lower other taxes.

2010, Ross McKitrick, Economic Analysis of Environmental Policy, page 187