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
While these reflections offer some useful context to Carroll, this circuitous plotting is distracting.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Her scenes with Edebiri are particularly drab and circuitous.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
Metropolis, with its much longer history, has a surprisingly circuitous geography.
—Big Think, 26 Aug. 2025
Their lives were further complicated in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which shares a lengthy border with Moldova, as a Chisinau-to-Moscow flight suddenly became a circuitous, nearly daylong journey via Turkey or Romania just for Igor to see his wife and son.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Her scenes with Edebiri are particularly drab and circuitous.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
Metropolis, with its much longer history, has a surprisingly circuitous geography.
—Big Think, 26 Aug. 2025
Their lives were further complicated in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which shares a lengthy border with Moldova, as a Chisinau-to-Moscow flight suddenly became a circuitous, nearly daylong journey via Turkey or Romania just for Igor to see his wife and son.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circuitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circuitous
Adjective
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Fishers nixes plans for another Allisonville roundabout after crash spike at 96th Street circle Noblesville has dominated Indiana soccer for years.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
4 Sep. 2025
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As such, the networks aren’t on the hook for makegoods in the increasingly unlikely event of under-deliveries, which is a roundabout way of suggesting that the annual audience tallies are mostly of interest to PR types.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The final part is a rather rambling segment philosophizing on proof of the afterlife—in line with dozens of similar texts from this era of psychical research.—
Alice Vernon
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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The videos, which depict handwritten journals and a display of high-powered weaponry, paint a portrait of a person with a rambling and deeply nihilistic outlook, according to analyses by law enforcement and ABC News.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Hawaii will continue to feel indirect impacts today from moist air Kiko brought into the area and a weak wind field left in its wake, the National Weather Service said.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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This indirect pollution makes up about 80-90% of an insurance company's total climate risk exposure, far more than the emissions from running their own offices and operations.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 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 most prominent features of the Cygnus cargo freighter are its circular, fan-like solar arrays and an aluminum cylinder called the pressurized cargo module that bears some resemblance to a keg of beer.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
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To clean your stainless steel pan after a night of cooking, simply pour off the excess grease or oil, then clean the pan with warm water and dish soap, using a sponge (our favorite is this Skura style sponge), moving in a continuous circular motion across the cooking surface.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circuitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuitous. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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