circumlocutory

adjective

Definition of circumlocutorynext
as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea the studio's statement that "the film's earnings did not live up to expectations" was a circumlocutory admission that the movie was a flop

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumlocutory
  1. rambling
  2. prolix
  3. talkative
  4. verbose
  5. circuitous
  6. exaggerated
  7. wordy
Adjective
  • After the event was disrupted by an armed intruder, the Administration and the association scheduled a July do-over, where Trump delivered a rambling speech indulging seemingly every tangent that sprang to mind, but his contempt remained apparent.
    — Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The rambling result is friendly and approachable—a one-level house with plenty of room for entertaining guests, as well as thoughtful steal-away spaces for catching your breath.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rambling
Adjective
  • Even the blandest overtures can whip him into a frantic, pornographic, prolix ecstasy.
    — Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The album is a concise, 10-song set, a deliberate contrast to prolix streaming-era albums like the ones released lately by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Definition of prolix
Adjective
  • There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Than Constantly Direct Parents may naturally focus on how energetic, friendly, or talkative a teacher appears.
    — Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of talkative
Adjective
  • Asgari highlights these minor skirmishes through life itself (whether at its most verbose, or in complete silence) via minor aesthetic transformations which play in major keys, and prove deeply moving.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The playbook was far more verbose when Harvey arrived in Denver as a second-round pick.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of verbose
Adjective
  • The Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández took a circuitous route to the ball and still missed by only inches.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Dave Aranda - Baylor (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images) Dave Aranda's path at Baylor has been a circuitous one, to say the least.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of circuitous
Adjective
  • The more exaggerated interpretations, with oversized collars that swallow the chin or heavy embellishment, are the ones most at risk of looking dated once the search curve bends.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Digger is, first and foremost, a parable—without spoiling the plot, its events are intentionally exaggerated to make a point about humans and climate change.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of exaggerated
Adjective
  • Afterward, Ashe quipped about taking on Parton’s famously wordy lyrics in front of the room.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • And finally, if person A utters a needlessly wordy or detailed expression that is technically synonymous with a single term, person B may take A to implicate that the term does not apply to the person or event under discussion.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of wordy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocution
circumlocutory
circumnavigate
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Cite this Entry

“Circumlocutory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumlocutory. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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