elliptical

adjective

i-ˈlip-ti-kəl How to pronounce elliptical (audio)
variants or elliptic
Definition of ellipticalnext
1
as in cryptic
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the poet's elliptical style is such that the reader often senses that an allusion is being made—but to what exactly?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in oval
having the shape of an egg the villa's marble pool is surrounded by an elliptic arrangement of ancient Greek statuary

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning his elliptical replies can seem rude to some people, but that's just his way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of elliptical Take elliptic curve cryptography, used across the Internet and by cryptocurrencies. — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 But Raman’s answers never meandered and weren’t too elliptical, even when she was pressed by the able moderators. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 The elliptical passage of time across the film’s broader structure also manifests more directly in how Tanaka shapes a scene, sometimes cutting off before the final word spoken. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Ripa pointed to planks, Pilates, swimming, yoga and the elliptical as alternatives. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elliptical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elliptical
  1. cryptic
  2. oval
  3. concise
  4. ambiguous
  5. brief
  6. dark
  7. summary
  8. obscure
Adjective
  • Then, on October 26, a member of Parliament—who happened to be the brother-in-law of one of the conspirators—received a cryptic, anonymous letter.
    — Lucia Barnum, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The news arrives after a cryptic graphic teasing the tour was posted on Instagram, featuring imagery from The Great Divide.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of cryptic
Adjective
  • Logano is a four-time winner at Phoenix Raceway while Blaney has won the past two races at the mile, tri-oval track.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Steaks, such as a 16-ounce Snake River Farms wagyu ribeye ($78) are presented unceremoniously on an oval white plate, without so much as a sprig of parsley, much less a sauce.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of oval
Adjective
  • This excellent volume contains a series of concise and authoritative essays on key aspects of the Ghetto’s early history, written by leading experts in the field.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Gemini needed 11 seconds to respond despite delivering a more concise, straight-to-the-point answer.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of concise
Adjective
  • The cover art for The Holy Cross Tigers is awash in burgundy, a more ambiguous shade that’s indicative of the oppositional emotions stewing within.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But Maryland’s climate goals have been ambiguous and inconsistent.
    — Alex Pavlak, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of ambiguous
Adjective
  • Despite a brief earnings dip, the stock shrugged off the biggest tech selloff since Covid last week, a bear market in semiconductors, and renewed anxiety around interest-rate hikes, to extend its 2026 rally to 30% and a new all-time high.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026
  • These days, brief exchanges with Travis are as close as Marshall comes to interacting with other Followers.
    — Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of brief
Adjective
  • The watch is home to a dark gray gradient opaline in the dial’s center, surrounded by a light-gray sunburst gradient on the chapter ring.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The television special offered a glimpse of the conversation pit, now done up with dark maroon carpet and a navy sofa with white cushions.
    — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • The judge considered hundreds of pages of evidence and testimony from San Diego officials, homeowners and their lawyers and determined that the city had not met the burden for what is called summary adjudication in any of the five causes of actions.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.
    — Mary Ellen O'Connell, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of summary
Adjective
  • The pope is, among many other things, an American baby boomer who, earlier this summer, referenced in a footnote in a treatise on peace a Dylan lyric so obscure that not even Padgett had ever heard of it.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026
  • From star lender to seized bank Ueno Bank, which skyrocketed from an obscure finance company to a household name in less than five years, claimed more than 60% of Paraguay’s adults as customers.
    — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of obscure

Browse Nearby Words

ellipses
elliptical
elliptically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elliptical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elliptical. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All