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circumlocutory

adjective

Definition of circumlocutorynext
as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea the studio's statement that "the film's earnings did not live up to expectations" was a circumlocutory admission that the movie was a flop

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumlocutory
  1. rambling
  2. prolix
  3. talkative
  4. verbose
  5. circuitous
  6. exaggerated
  7. wordy
Adjective
  • The rambling result is friendly and approachable—a one-level house with plenty of room for entertaining guests, as well as thoughtful steal-away spaces for catching your breath.
    — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026
  • His public remarks are rambling and error-filled, and rely on a shrinking pool of vocabulary terms.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rambling
Adjective
  • Even the blandest overtures can whip him into a frantic, pornographic, prolix ecstasy.
    — Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The album is a concise, 10-song set, a deliberate contrast to prolix streaming-era albums like the ones released lately by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Definition of prolix
Adjective
  • There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Than Constantly Direct Parents may naturally focus on how energetic, friendly, or talkative a teacher appears.
    — Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of talkative
Adjective
  • Asgari highlights these minor skirmishes through life itself (whether at its most verbose, or in complete silence) via minor aesthetic transformations which play in major keys, and prove deeply moving.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The playbook was far more verbose when Harvey arrived in Denver as a second-round pick.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of verbose
Adjective
  • Other refuse made circuitous routes via Pakistan and Dubai, or else the Baltics and Central Asia, eventually landing in Hazara’s new home, Berlin.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Congress is again trying to reauthorize funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, or GLRI, but this year's effort has taken a circuitous route.
    — Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of circuitous
Adjective
  • The long sleeves also packed on the drama with an exaggerated cuff and flowing fabric ribbons.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The Cat Man is back Reports of the demise of Tony Gonsolin were greatly exaggerated.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exaggerated
Adjective
  • Afterward, Ashe quipped about taking on Parton’s famously wordy lyrics in front of the room.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • And finally, if person A utters a needlessly wordy or detailed expression that is technically synonymous with a single term, person B may take A to implicate that the term does not apply to the person or event under discussion.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of wordy
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.

Browse Nearby Words

circumlocution
circumlocutory
circumnavigate
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Cite this Entry

“Circumlocutory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumlocutory. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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