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 circuitous route is way more spectator-friendly than the Tour de France course.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
The program has also long suffered from poor on-time performance and circuitous routing.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Resilience is taking a much longer, more circuitous route to the moon; the Japanese lander isn't expected to reach lunar orbit until late May or early June.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The water then was pumped throughout the city via a circuitous network of huge pipes, many of them buried under Greenmount Avenue and York Road.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
The program has also long suffered from poor on-time performance and circuitous routing.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Resilience is taking a much longer, more circuitous route to the moon; the Japanese lander isn't expected to reach lunar orbit until late May or early June.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The water then was pumped throughout the city via a circuitous network of huge pipes, many of them buried under Greenmount Avenue and York Road.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circuitous
Adjective
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In a roundabout way, giving away Google's search tech could actually increase its influence.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
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So, in a roundabout way, the current economic storm is an unexpected boon for student loan borrowers.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Now imagine all that generating capacity approved by relevant agencies but turned back by the courts under NEPA because the agencies had not sufficiently considered the indirect effects of unrelated projects outside their jurisdiction.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2025
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This is direct communication (phallocentric) vs indirect communication (gynocentric).—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Words, including those of artists themselves—as prolix in their way as critics, curators, and historians—can serve vision but can also deflect from it.—
Barry Schwabsky,
ARTnews.com,
3 Sep. 2019
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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
Adjective
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The scalloped, circular shape departs from the traditional square shape of dinner napkins.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
16 June 2025
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Because of the positions and orbits of neighboring moons, Io’s orbit is elliptical rather than circular.—
Robin Andrews,
Wired News,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuitous. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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