as in roundabout
not straightforward or direct
a rather circular discussion of the problem that never addresses it directly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in booklet
a short printed publication with no cover or with a paper cover
promptly tosses out those advertising circulars that come in the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of circular
Laura Beausire, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2026
Broader circular economy Beyond recycling coal waste, China is eyeing a broader circular economy to overhaul its construction material supply.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Dec. 2025
The circular included a QR code to scan for those interested in joining.
—Christopher Tremoglie, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circular
Adjective
Within the hotel’s circular practice of regenerative dining, all table scraps are collected and sent to the farm to contribute to compost, fertilizer, and animal feed.
—Laura Beausire, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2026
Broader circular economy Beyond recycling coal waste, China is eyeing a broader circular economy to overhaul its construction material supply.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Noun
The Tennessean looked at weekly circulars from more than a dozen stores, including Middle Tennessee staples like Aldi, Dollar General, BJ's Wholesale Club.
—Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Dec. 2025
The circular included a QR code to scan for those interested in joining.
—Christopher Tremoglie, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circular
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
Noun
-
Utah sent 100 cards featuring historical citizens, 13 coins, eight documents, eight pins, two granite disks and a booklet.—
Holly Ramer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
Many kites come with detailed instructions and a booklet of tips and tricks for beginners.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Most varieties prefer dappled light and require at least some indirect sunlight or partial shade, says Schully.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 June 2026
-
In April, Iran’s government told a Russian news agency that the conflict has cost the country $270 billion in direct and indirect damages.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
References to the president were also stripped from email signatures and communications, as well as papers like brochures, press releases and contracts.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
The brochures were distributed at the annual Extel awards, a survey of fund managers anointing the analysts deemed best in their field, announced at a lunch at the Guildhall.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
To deadhead, cut back individual spent blooms to the first five-leaflet leaf to encourage more buds to form.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
-
Weeks later, a young union organizer handing out leaflets about her death outside the factory was surrounded by men wearing Brandix-logo clothing who threatened her with rape and murder, the letter added.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Each time an infected device rebooted, its UEFI checked whether a malicious file was present in the Windows startup folder and, if not, installed it.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
-
Mangione, who sat in between his lawyers and wore a dark blue suit, was quiet throughout the brief hearing and held a folder up in front of his face for most of the time photographers were allowed to take pictures.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The flyer encourages students to celebrate the end of the school year after finals.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
On the opposite end, airport frequent flier lounges in the regular terminals keep growing, too, but are becoming a little too popular, with long lines to enter.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Sometimes, that means giving [the pamphlets] out to the kids to give to their parents.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
These invasion fictions took a range of forms, from short stories and pamphlets to novellas and full-length novels, and proliferated especially in the late-Victorian and Edwardian period leading up to World War I, which brought the subgenre’s brief flourishing to an end.—
Ivan Kreilkamp,
JSTOR Daily,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circular. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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