ambage

Examples

• All

• The novel’s excessive ambage made the plot difficult to follow.

• His speech was full of ambage and lacked clarity.

• Literary critics often highlight the poetic ambage found in classical prose.

• The report contained too much ambage for my liking.

• He spoke in ambage, using elaborate phrases that left everyone puzzled.

• The politician's answers were filled with ambage, avoiding the real issues.

• Due to the author's penchant for ambage, the readers struggled to grasp the main idea.

Synonyms

C

circumlocution

vsambage

1 9.2

Using many words to avoid saying something directly

is a general term for indirect or roundabout speech

A

ambages

vsambage

• Archaic

9.9

Indirect ways of speaking or acting that hide the true meaning

has identical meaning but is an archaic plural form

P

periphrasis

vsambage

• Literature

9.9

Using more words than needed to say something in a roundabout way

focuses on indirect wording rather than direct wording

C

circumambulation

vsambage

• Formal

9.9

Talking in a roundabout way to avoid the main point

is indirect speech generally not specifically about avoidance

Antonyms

C

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

D

directness

6 3.4

Honest, clear words and actions that say exactly what you mean

How Indirect

obfuscation

• Formal

12 8.7

ambage

• Archaic

9.9

circumlocution

1 9.2

evasion

12 6.6

Surface Forms

Etymology