variants
or elliptic
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of elliptical
The moon's orbit is elliptical, or egg-shaped, rather than a perfect circle around the Earth.
—
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
In their new poetry collections, Peter Balakian’s elliptical notations let his images speak for themselves while Angie Estes’s concentration reveals a rapturous virtuosity.
—Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
The last three full moons of 2025, coming in early October, November and December, will be supermoons — appearing at closest point to Earth in the body's elliptical orbit, or perigee, according to NASA.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Options for tracking include basics like walking, running, and biking, as well as a number of different sports such as basketball, pickleball, and soccer, and other activities like elliptical workouts, high-intensity interval training, pilates, and yoga.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elliptical
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
In their new poetry collections, Peter Balakian’s elliptical notations let his images speak for themselves while Angie Estes’s concentration reveals a rapturous virtuosity.
—Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 2 Oct. 2025
The last three full moons of 2025, coming in early October, November and December, will be supermoons — appearing at closest point to Earth in the body's elliptical orbit, or perigee, according to NASA.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Options for tracking include basics like walking, running, and biking, as well as a number of different sports such as basketball, pickleball, and soccer, and other activities like elliptical workouts, high-intensity interval training, pilates, and yoga.
—PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elliptical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elliptical
Adjective
-
Welch announced their album Everybody Scream back in August, following a few cryptic teasers.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
-
This led many fans to believe that online discussions and interviews referencing his expiring contract were part of an elaborate storyline, given Kross's cryptic persona.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Hanging below the vast cosmic heart is a knot of dust and gas known informally as the Fishhead Nebula, thanks to its vaguely oval outline and a dark dust filament that gives it the appearance of an aquatic creature.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The main use case for an oval Dutch oven is for large cuts of meat like a rack of lamb.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The initiative focuses on publishing concise, high-quality species descriptions to shorten the gap between discovery and formal recognition drastically.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The other cuts in as needed — concise, disarming, right on cue.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
With stunning celerity, possibility becomes probability and then certainty, as readers reject the quiet, circuitous, and unglamorous narratives of prudential compromise, ambiguous diplomacy, or incremental progress.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ibsen’s choice to use Hedda’s maiden name for the play speaks to her resistance to the strong presence of men in her life; DaCosta’s choice to remove the surname entirely speaks to a rejection of patriarchal identity, replaced with an ambiguous void that Hedda herself doesn’t know how to fill.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And all of that offers a certain salvation, a shelter of sorts from the unjustly brief and linear time we are given.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
There will be a brief history of the Honor Wall and a dedication to the late Dan Foster, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army and is a cofounder of the Alpine Veterans Wall of Honor.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos were looked at by many across the NFL as a dark-horse Super Bowl contender before the season started.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Sor Juana’s verses confirm that venturing into the dating pool is always like stepping into a dark abyss.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.—
Mary Ellen O'Connell,
The Conversation,
4 Sep. 2025
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Not surprisingly, given the risk of summary execution, many had initial doubts.—
Yossi Melman,
ProPublica,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Even then, though, the path is obscure.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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Many years have passed since nursing home patients lived in the Redlands Road building, the obscure permit on which the occupancy rested has lapsed.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elliptical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elliptical. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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