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
Adjective
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Instead, DeSantis unleashed a rambling recap of the past seven years, with plenty of unsourced statistics, claims of victory that aren’t supported by reality, and wording often designed to obfuscate the most controversial parts of his tenure.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026 -
Day trips to Amalfi-style Taormina are well-advised for those who have yet to gawp at its clifftop panoramas across the Mediterranean or its film star hotels, as are jaunts to the rambling flea markets and splendidly scruffy trattorias of nearby Catania.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
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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Lopez describes her daughter as an energetic, talkative child who speaks both English and Spanish.—
Leondra Head,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Then, like now, people were very talkative.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Instead, Reeves became Estragon, the more simplistic and long-suffering of the duo, while Winter tackled Vladimir, the more commanding and verbose character.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Director Richard Linklater is fond of a verbose protagonist; Hawke and Julie Delpy gabbed through three films’ worth of Before movies, after all.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Chambliss takes unlikely path to playoffs Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss took a circuitous route to the playoffs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Mighty Ducks star, who has been open about his long and circuitous journey from addiction to sobriety, is among the many fans who grew concerned over a recent video of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide star Tylor Chase.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Distilling the truth from the limited number of documents created by Friend and the often exaggerated or distorted tales recorded by others can be challenging.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cue the ’80s, a decade defined by exaggerated silhouettes, statement washes, and hybrid designs.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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With Payton and Nix, in particular, part of the rationale was to get some of Payton’s most wordy calls on the band so the coach could give short-hand to Nix, creating a couple of extra seconds for the quarterback to spit out a call that might be15 or 20 words long.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Clearly, this was a bit wordy, so this became ‘parking the bus’, which initially found popularity as an insult for unambitious football, then later was used in a more neutral manner to mean deep defending.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Circumlocutory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumlocutory. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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