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
Examples of rambling in a Sentence
I listened patiently to Mrs. Parsifal's rambling reminiscences, though I had no idea who "Dorothy" and "the stepson" were
the new minister gives rambling sermons that, if they have a point, are lost on the congregation, which invariably falls asleep
Recent Examples on the Web
Shinjuku Gyoen is a rambling blend of European and Japanese formal gardens that becomes a focal point of the cherry blossom season in late March.
—Stephen Kelly, TheWeek, 26 Mar. 2026
The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
The narrative features, however, such as 2010’s My Joy or 2017’s A Gentle Creature, were rich, rambling, surreal, maximalist, following characters on absurd quests through cross sections of bureaucracy and society.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
And, on her rambling way out of the building, a glimpse of a room with a second exit, though that door was barricaded by a large cabinet.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Turan lives in a co-op called Base Camp, a rambling four-story Victorian that houses 14 other tech workers who spend their days at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s DeepMind.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
This film, so seemingly unassertive, apparently rambling and plotless, has a devastating impact and aftershock.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The thinktank session was held at the rambling 40-acre Mettawa estate of another presidential also-ran, Adlai Stevenson II.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The writing can be rambling, unedited, and niche, or sharp, pristine, and relatable.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Stephen Kelly, TheWeek, 26 Mar. 2026
The four leads are overconfident and loutish, spending their time drinking, rambling, and clumsily working through their worries about the future.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
The narrative features, however, such as 2010’s My Joy or 2017’s A Gentle Creature, were rich, rambling, surreal, maximalist, following characters on absurd quests through cross sections of bureaucracy and society.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
And, on her rambling way out of the building, a glimpse of a room with a second exit, though that door was barricaded by a large cabinet.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
Turan lives in a co-op called Base Camp, a rambling four-story Victorian that houses 14 other tech workers who spend their days at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s DeepMind.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
This film, so seemingly unassertive, apparently rambling and plotless, has a devastating impact and aftershock.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The thinktank session was held at the rambling 40-acre Mettawa estate of another presidential also-ran, Adlai Stevenson II.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The writing can be rambling, unedited, and niche, or sharp, pristine, and relatable.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rambling. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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