circuitous

adjective

cir·​cu·​i·​tous (ˌ)sər-ˈkyü-ə-təs 

1

: having a circular or winding course

a circuitous route

a circuitous journey by snowmobile

2

: not being forthright or direct in language or action

a circuitous explanation

His circuitous form of logic was mind-boggling.

circuitously adverb

circuitousness noun

Did you know?

If you guessed that circuitous is related to circuit, you're right—both words come from Latin circuitus, the past participle of the verb circumire, meaning "to go around." Circumire is derived, in turn, from Latin circum, meaning "around," plus ire, which means "to go." Other circum descendants making the rounds in English include circumference ("the perimeter of a circle"), circumvent (one meaning of which is "to make a circuit around"), circumlocution ("the act of 'talking around' a subject"), and circumnavigate ("to go around"). There's also the prefix circum-, which means "around" or "about," and the familiar word circumstance, which describes a condition or event that "stands around" another.

Synonyms

• circular
• indirect
• roundabout

Examples of circuitous in a Sentence

Their logic seems a bit circuitous.

we took a circuitous route to the airport so as to avoid the massive traffic jam on the highway

Recent Examples on the Web

Burleson, Thompson’s 7-foot-2 teammate at N.C. State — he was incorrectly listed by the Wolfpack at 7-4, but that’s another story — took the most circuitous route to the party. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2024

This circuitous novel is born from incidents that occurred during Melchor's time as a journalist in and around Veracruz, Mexico. —The Week Us, theweek, 18 June 2024

The path there was just as circuitous, stretching across decades and state lines, traced through internet profiles, criminal backgrounds, family histories, legal records and old memories. —Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 14 June 2024

The blue-and-white vans are the subject of an ongoing class-action lawsuit in federal court, in which regular riders say the system’s circuitous routes fail to provide comparable service in violation of the state’s human rights law. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from Medieval Latin circuitosus, from Latin circuitus — see circuit entry 1

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

circuitous

adjective

cir·​cu·​itous

(ˌ)sər-ˈkyü-ət-əs

1

: not saying what one means in simple and sincere language

2

: having a circular or winding course

a circuitous route

circuitously adverb

circuitousness noun