circumlocutory

Examples

• All

• His circumlocutory explanation left everyone more confused than before.

• During the meeting, she often spoke in a circumlocutory way to avoid giving a direct answer.

• The politician's circumlocutory speech made it difficult to discern his actual position on the issue.

Synonyms

W

wordy

vscircumlocutory

9 3.7

Using more words than needed makes the meaning hard to understand

often aims to be deliberately vague or evasive rather than merely long

P

pleonastic

vscircumlocutory

1 9.9

Using more words than needed, often repeating the same idea

focuses on avoiding clarity by being deliberately vague rather than repeating

P

periphrastic

vscircumlocutory

• Literature

1 9.9

To use more words than needed in speech or writing to say something simple

often aims to be deliberately vague or evasive rather than merely indirect

A

ambagious

vscircumlocutory

• Archaic

9.9

To speak or write in a roundabout, wordy way that hides the main point

is purposely vague and evasive rather than simply indirect

C

circumlocutious

vscircumlocutory

9.9

Using more words than needed to say what you mean in a roundabout way

is more broadly roundabout and deliberately evasive rather than plain

How Wordy

long-winded

18 5.8

circumlocutory

1 9.9

wordy

9 3.7

succinct

18 6.4

concise

37 4.2

brief

534 2.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology