indirection
noun
in·di·rec·tion
ˌin-də-ˈrek-shən 
-(ˌ)dī-
1
a
: indirect action or procedure
b
: lack of direction : aimlessness
2
a
: lack of straightforwardness and openness : deceitfulness
b
: something (such as an act or statement) marked by lack of straightforwardness
hated diplomatic indirections—
Rev. of Reviews
Rev. of ReviewsExamples of indirection in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Because the women can’t vote or hold public office, their improvements get implemented through a mixture of trickery and indirection.
—Deborah Williams
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Compared with Severance’s usual storytelling mode in season two, where any explicit plot point is buried in layers of ambiguity, vagueness, and artful indirection, the conversation between the Marks is immediately, beautifully blunt.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
His direction is the art of indirection, something borne out by other films in the MOMA retrospective.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
The statute explicitly prohibits targeting Americans for surveillance — including by indirection (i.e., targeting non-Americans only as a pretext to spy on Americans with whom the foreigners are in contact).
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
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Deborah Williams
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Compared with Severance’s usual storytelling mode in season two, where any explicit plot point is buried in layers of ambiguity, vagueness, and artful indirection, the conversation between the Marks is immediately, beautifully blunt.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
His direction is the art of indirection, something borne out by other films in the MOMA retrospective.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
The statute explicitly prohibits targeting Americans for surveillance — including by indirection (i.e., targeting non-Americans only as a pretext to spy on Americans with whom the foreigners are in contact).
—The Editors, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for indirection
Cite this Entry
“Indirection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indirection. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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