1
as in roundabout
not straightforward or direct
we took a circuitous route to the airport so as to avoid the massive traffic jam on the highway
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2
as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
a circuitous explanation for what seems like a fairly basic concept
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Recent Examples of circuitous
The writer Susan Dyer Reynolds suggested—through a circuitous series of connections that defied space and time—that Duran was being paid by George Soros.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Yet her book is sunnier than Norton’s, more confident that the Revolution set American women on a road toward equality, however steep and circuitous.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Bill was rapidly moving uphill in a slightly circuitous route that would bring him into the open a respectable distance from the bear.
—Marguerite Reiss, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025
After a rather circuitous route, no-trade lists will be stored in a centralized manner starting next season.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Yet her book is sunnier than Norton’s, more confident that the Revolution set American women on a road toward equality, however steep and circuitous.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Bill was rapidly moving uphill in a slightly circuitous route that would bring him into the open a respectable distance from the bear.
—Marguerite Reiss, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025
After a rather circuitous route, no-trade lists will be stored in a centralized manner starting next season.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circuitous
Adjective
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That’s not a roundabout way of calling the Murdaughs ugly or implying the series’ costume, makeup, and hair departments haven’t done their best to knock the dashing Jason Clarke down a peg.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
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In this roundabout way, the pledge would redound to China’s benefit, too, as long as Beijing truly does not wish to use force to annex Taiwan.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Gerbi family also controls the trendy Paris retailer Merci, a rambling concept shop that opened in 2009 with a charitable mission.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kiley, 40, a Republican, is in his second term representing a rambling district that stretches from the northeastern Sacramento suburbs, through Placer and nearby counties and down to Death Valley.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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As a result of this framework, the company has cut direct and indirect GHG emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions) by 84 percent from its baseline from Fiscal Year 2021.—
Katherine Fung,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Tomatoes root best in bright, indirect light, but once their roots have sprouted, they should be moved to a location with strong, bright light and watered regularly.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In 1949, a young American artist named Ray Johnson left Black Mountain College near Asheville, N.C., moved to New York City and began to explore his prolix talents, both visual and verbal.—
Roberta Smith,
New York Times,
30 May 2024
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His answer is this book: a laudably sincere, exasperatingly prolix and occasionally affecting rumination on the state of Egypt—its society, culture, history and politics—pegged to the maddening bureaucracy of the archive.—
Kapil Komireddi,
WSJ,
12 Mar. 2023
Adjective
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Engineering a circular blade lifecycle Despite the expansion in wind energy, major challenges remain primarily related to the design and manufacture of wind turbine blades.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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Its circular design enables easier end-of-life recycling—a rare accomplishment for performance membranes.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuitous. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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