indirect

adjective in·di·rect \ ˌin-də-ˈrekt , -(ˌ)dī- \

|Updated on: 21 Aug 2018

Definition of indirect

: not direct: such as

a (1) : deviating from a direct line or course : roundabout

(2) : not going straight to the point

an indirect accusation

(3) : being or involving proof of a proposition or theorem by demonstration that its negation leads to an absurdity or contradiction

b : not straightforward and open : deceitful

c : not directly aimed at or achieved

indirect consequences

d : stating what a real or supposed original speaker said with changes in wording that conform the statement grammatically to the sentence in which it is included

indirect discourse

an indirect question

e : not effected by the action of the people or the electorate

indirect government representation

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indirectly

play \ˌin-də-ˈrekt-lē, -(ˌ)dī-\ adverb

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indirectness

play \ˌin-də-ˈrekt-nəs, -(ˌ)dī-\ noun

See indirect defined for English-language learners

See indirect defined for kids

Examples of indirect in a Sentence

We took an indirect route.
These plants grow best in bright indirect light.
He gave only vague, indirect answers to our questions.
They used indirect methods of investigation.
There were many indirect references to his earlier books.
Looking at her watch was her indirect way of telling him it was time to leave.
Poor nutrition may have been an indirect cause of the disease.
The cigarette stubs were indirect evidence that someone had been smoking in the room.
“He said that he would call later,” is an example of indirect speech since his actual words were “I'll call later.”
an indirect question such as “She asked whether the doctor had arrived”

Recent Examples of indirect from the Web

Most of the rest was inferred using direct or indirect indicators, such as by taking the number of housing starts as a proxy for dollars invested in new home construction.

— jason furman, WSJ, "The Economy Is Growing Faster Than the Government Says," 9 July 2018
Massive indirect deaths due to conflict violence would also have been averted.

— håvard hegre, Washington Post, "U.N. peacekeeping really can be effective. Here’s how we tabulated this.," 28 June 2018
Rather than highlighting the exhibit itself, the event proved thematically relevant in a more indirect manner: the presence of technology in relation to footwork was made evident all night by the ubiquity of phones.

— anna white, Chicago Reader, "Hip-Hop / Music Chicago's footwork community takes center stage at the MCA," 6 July 2018
Although continuing public shareholders also profit from this indirect insider trading, selling public shareholders lose by a greater amount, reducing investor returns in aggregate.

— jesse m. fried and, WSJ, "The Real Problem With Stock Buybacks," 6 July 2018
Co-benefits are essentially the indirect benefits of a rule, or the additional gains an agency action was not specifically designed to create.

— maxine joselow, Science | AAAS, "Clean air advocates worried by EPA’s move to rethink cost-benefit calculations," 25 June 2018
Wyden’s investigation found that one of Verizon’s indirect corporate customers, a prison phone company called Securus, had used Verizon’s customer location data in a system that effectively let correctional officers spy on millions of Americans.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Verizon, AT&T will suspend sales of customer location data, after a prison phone company was caught misusing it," 20 June 2018
New York is also among the several states that have taken a more indirect approach to ensuring net neutrality.

— klint finley, WIRED, "The FCC's Net Neutrality Rules Are Dead, but the Fight Isn't," 11 June 2018
The bill was, in effect, an indirect private-school voucher program.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Georgia GOP Lieutenant Governor Caught on Tape Insisting He’s a Political Hack," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indirect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of indirect

Middle English, from Medieval Latin indirectus, from Latin in- + directus direct — more at dress

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

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indirect Synonyms

INDIRECT Defined for Kids

indirect

adjective in·di·rect \ ˌin-də-ˈrekt , -dī- \

Definition of indirect for Students

1 : not straight or direct

an indirect route

2 : not straightforward

an indirect answer

3 : not having a plainly seen connection

an indirect cause

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indirectly

adverb

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indirectness

noun

Medical Dictionary

indirect

adjective in·di·rect \ ˌin-də-ˈrekt, -dī- \

medical Definition of indirect

1 : not direct: as

a : not resulting directly from an action or cause (as a disease)

indirect effects of malaria

b : involving intermediate or intervening parts or pathways

stimulation of one eye elicits narrowing of the pupil of the other eye by an indirect reaction

indirect attachment of a muscle through tendons

2 : involving or being immunofluorescence in which antibodies of two kinds are used of which the first combine with a specific protein and the second contain a fluorescent label and combine with the antibodies of the first type

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