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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In 2020, the Supreme Court — in a roundabout way — ended the confusion by refusing to consider an appellate ruling that validated special taxes proposed by initiative and approved by simple majorities.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
14 Oct. 2025
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In 2020, the Supreme Court — in a roundabout way — ended the confusion by refusing to consider an appellate ruling that validated special taxes proposed by initiative and approved by simple majorities.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the past several years, Edge had filed a string of civil lawsuits with rambling, sometimes conspiratorial claims.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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Kiehne was frustrated with the Joneses because the county government wouldn’t grade the dirt road up to his ranch, a rambling territory along the New Mexico border.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most respiratory viruses, including Covid-19, flu and RSV, act through the indirect pathway, Roberts said, while enterovirus strains – related to the viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease – can directly infect the heart muscle.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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Make sure the orchid gets bright, indirect light for six to eight hours indoors, and use a grow light if needed.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Oct. 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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The discovery offers a powerful way to give waste plastics a second life as high-performance materials, advancing both a circular economy and next-generation clean technologies.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
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Ground zero for two family weddings and several SAG-AFTRA events during the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress’s ownership, the light gray and white-trimmed structure is tucked away behind 20-foot privacy hedges and double gates and fronted by a semi-circular driveway.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuitous. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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