Synonyms of circuitous

circuitous

adjective

(ˌ)sər-ˈkyü-ə-təs 

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

• roundabout
• indirect
• circular
• winding
• twisting
• tortuous
• misleading
• serpentine
• sinuous
• rambling
• deceptive
• prolix
• subtle
• insidious
• meandering
• wandering
• verbose
• curvy
• crooked
• long-winded
• circumlocutory
• duplicitous
• deceitful
• dishonest
• devious
• tricky
• cunning
• crafty
• underhanded
• underhand
• sneaky
• calculating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• direct
• straightforward
• straight
• plain
• frank
• open
• honest
• forthright
• candid
• undisguised
• unconcealed

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

• rambling
• prolix
• talkative
• exaggerated
• wordy
• verbose
• long-winded
• circumlocutory
• diffuse
• communicative
• pleonastic
• redundant
• garrulous
• conversational
• windy
• logorrheic
• loquacious
• voluble
• repetitious
• talky
• tautological
• chatty
• periphrastic
• tautologous
• gaseous
• bombastic
• grandiloquent
• gabby
• gassy
• embroidered
• embellished
• highfalutin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• concise
• succinct
• terse
• short
• brief
• pithy
• compact
• crisp
• epigrammatic
• summary
• abbreviated
• abrupt
• aphoristic
• sententious
• blunt
• condensed
• brusque
• abridged
• laconic
• curt
• compendious
• shortened
• snippy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of circuitous

Stephen Hunt, chief development officer for VRT, told the council that virtually every rider complaint from long waits at the Senior Center to circuitous routes traced back to a lack of funding rather than mismanagement. — Noah Daly august 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026

Rouse says the track came together in an unusually circuitous way. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026

That circuitous email chain between homeowners and city officials, including an assistant city attorney, illustrates how homeowners have been stonewalled, Lardon said. — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026

In addition to their unmistakable physical resemblance to each other, there are similarities between Bourdain’s and Sessa’s circuitous lives. — Ok McCausland, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 July 2026

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