rambling
adjective
ram·bling
ˈram-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
: proceeding without a specific goal, purpose, or direction: such as
a
: wandering about from one place to another
a rambling walk
b
: straying from subject to subject
a rambling essay/discussion/discourse
a rambling talker
His text is at times repetitious and rambling.—
Robert Howard
Robert Howard
c
: stretching, spreading, or growing in a winding or irregular way
a rambling stream
rambling roses
2
: large and informally designed
a rambling farmhouse
… blue-tinged shots give the sinister prison … the air of a rambling edifice out of Dickens.—Celia Wren
Celia Wren
ramblingly
adverb
a ramblingly told story
Synonyms
Examples of rambling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, then gave a rambling acceptance speech for the Best Actor award.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Those expecting a hard-hitting face-off will have surely walked away sorely disappointed by the long-winded and rambling interview, in which Tucker himself at times appeared lost.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024
Her answers were often vague, rambling and over-personalized.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
What there is instead is a brilliantly inventive magnum opus by Anaïs Mitchell, a masterwork that garnered eight Tony Awards when — after a rambling route of out-of-town productions, a concert tour, a concept album and off-Broadway stagings — the show debuted on the Great White Way in 2019.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Trump’s arrival was met with a standing ovation from the senators, but after Trump made his rambling remarks and departed the room, the Republican caucus burst out laughing.
—Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023
Before she was sentenced, St Cyr went on a rambling and odd 45-minute rant in the courtroom that covered a series of unrelated topics.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
In March 2008, Muammar al-Qaddafi took the podium at an Arab League summit in Damascus to deliver one of his famously long-winded and rambling speeches.
—Mohamad Bazzi, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2011
Most candidates are unprepared and end up being boring, rambling or uncommunicative.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2023
David Sims, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024
Those expecting a hard-hitting face-off will have surely walked away sorely disappointed by the long-winded and rambling interview, in which Tucker himself at times appeared lost.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024
Her answers were often vague, rambling and over-personalized.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
What there is instead is a brilliantly inventive magnum opus by Anaïs Mitchell, a masterwork that garnered eight Tony Awards when — after a rambling route of out-of-town productions, a concert tour, a concept album and off-Broadway stagings — the show debuted on the Great White Way in 2019.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024
Trump’s arrival was met with a standing ovation from the senators, but after Trump made his rambling remarks and departed the room, the Republican caucus burst out laughing.
—Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023
Before she was sentenced, St Cyr went on a rambling and odd 45-minute rant in the courtroom that covered a series of unrelated topics.
—Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
In March 2008, Muammar al-Qaddafi took the podium at an Arab League summit in Damascus to deliver one of his famously long-winded and rambling speeches.
—Mohamad Bazzi, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2011
Most candidates are unprepared and end up being boring, rambling or uncommunicative.
—Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rambling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rambling
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rambling. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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