as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
his long-winded explanation could have been boiled down to two sentences
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Recent Examples of long-winded
As part of a long-winded court case related to conditions on Rikers, Manhattan Federal Judge Laura Swain has ordered that a receiver — who would oversee the DOC commissioner — should take over control of the notoriously dangerous jail complex.
—
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Fallujah, Xenotaph Crushing, tuneful and proggy, but never exactly long-winded, Xenotaph, the sixth full-length from San Francisco death-metal outfit Fallujah, is a wonder of balance and precision.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Jane perches on the corner of a kitchen chair, replying succinctly to Luna’s long-winded questions as she’s offered an open box of Ritz, a can of Easy Cheese and a bag of Cheetos in rapid succession.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Merkley, 69, was joined on the floor at times by a number of his Democratic colleagues, with some of them asking him long-winded questions to lessen the burden.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 22 Oct. 2025
Industry events are often staid affairs, full of long-winded speeches and by-the-numbers performances.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Perhaps an ode to the cerulean sweater that prompted Priestly's long-winded rant in the original film?
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of the problem with policymaking at the level of the federal government is that the impacts are often too large, too long-winded, too abstract to really be able to nearly encompass their full breadth, particularly for busy people who have their own immediate concerns to worry about.
—New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Fallujah, Xenotaph Crushing, tuneful and proggy, but never exactly long-winded, Xenotaph, the sixth full-length from San Francisco death-metal outfit Fallujah, is a wonder of balance and precision.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Jane perches on the corner of a kitchen chair, replying succinctly to Luna’s long-winded questions as she’s offered an open box of Ritz, a can of Easy Cheese and a bag of Cheetos in rapid succession.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
Merkley, 69, was joined on the floor at times by a number of his Democratic colleagues, with some of them asking him long-winded questions to lessen the burden.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 22 Oct. 2025
Industry events are often staid affairs, full of long-winded speeches and by-the-numbers performances.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Perhaps an ode to the cerulean sweater that prompted Priestly's long-winded rant in the original film?
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of the problem with policymaking at the level of the federal government is that the impacts are often too large, too long-winded, too abstract to really be able to nearly encompass their full breadth, particularly for busy people who have their own immediate concerns to worry about.
—New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for long-winded
rambling
Adjective
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The Gerbi family also controls the trendy Paris retailer Merci, a rambling concept shop that opened in 2009 with a charitable mission.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Kiley, 40, a Republican, is in his second term representing a rambling district that stretches from the northeastern Sacramento suburbs, through Placer and nearby counties and down to Death Valley.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Long-winded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/long-winded. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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