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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circuitous
Travel through the area can get circuitous for drivers as so many area streets are one-way and the area is heavily used by pedestrians.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
Cherry took a circuitous route back to San Diego, moving to Phoenix for high school, then a junior college in New Mexico for two seasons, then UNLV in 2024-25, then Sacramento State last season.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2026
Two major highways have been closed for days due to landslides and floods, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach their destinations.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Hundreds of new lawsuits, led by Hursh, will follow the circuitous path left by Nida.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 Apr. 2026
Cherry took a circuitous route back to San Diego, moving to Phoenix for high school, then a junior college in New Mexico for two seasons, then UNLV in 2024-25, then Sacramento State last season.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2026
Two major highways have been closed for days due to landslides and floods, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach their destinations.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
Hundreds of new lawsuits, led by Hursh, will follow the circuitous path left by Nida.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circuitous
Adjective
-
Republicans changed federal law to require an equal tax on private and public health insurance plans, negating a roundabout way California had used a tax on Medi-Cal plans to get more money from the federal government.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
-
The party that’s most benefited from this trade one year in has been neither the Giants nor the Red Sox, but in a roundabout way, the Milwaukee Brewers.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Flagship Real Estate Advisors The rambling cottages of Rhode Island’s Watch Hill rise like grand dames along the shoreline, stoic and weathered, the history of storms and summer memories baked into their sturdy front porches.—
Mary Forgione,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
-
Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
This includes about 29,000 direct construction jobs, more than 80,000 indirect and induced construction jobs and nearly 10,000 jobs related to wind farm operations.—
Jennifer McDermott,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
High humidity, medium indirect light, and warm temperatures are best for your prayer plant.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even the blandest overtures can whip him into a frantic, pornographic, prolix ecstasy.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For centuries, Native American tribes lived in the area, growing crops and building earthlodges, a circular home of earth and wood that was the center of family life, housing multiple generations, according to the National Park Service.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Each leather chair has a circular blue sticker of the 2026 World Cup.—
Pete Grathoff
June 8,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuitous. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
