ELLIPTICAL Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

elliptical

adjective

i-ˈlip-ti-kəl

variants or elliptic

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?

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as in oval

having the shape of an egg the villa's marble pool is surrounded by an elliptic arrangement of ancient Greek statuary

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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

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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 An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun while it is positioned a bit farther away because of its slightly elliptical orbit around Earth. —

Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026 Told in an elliptical style that requires the viewer to fill in some gaps, the narrative begins in Montreal, where 50-something Mihail (theatre actor and director Galin Stoev) works as a curator for a wealthy Canadian art dealer (Christophe Bégin). —

Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026 This eerie sensation is further enhanced by elliptical editing that seamlessly skips back and forth in time across the span of just a few days, creating a sense of fluidity across what should feel discontinuous. —

Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026 Mathematicians describe situations like this using what are called elliptic PDEs. —

Quanta Magazine, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elliptical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elliptical

Adjective

The lyrics are often cryptic and clipped, but bear evidence of turbulence and tumult.

— Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
His heroes aren’t athletes or movie stars but anonymous Twitter accounts—anime avatars and pseudonyms with cryptic bios—whose followers track their trades with devotional intensity.

— Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026