1
as in wandering
passing from one topic to another
I listened patiently to Mrs. Parsifal's rambling reminiscences, though I had no idea who "Dorothy" and "the stepson" were
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in talkative
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
the new minister gives rambling sermons that, if they have a point, are lost on the congregation, which invariably falls asleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rattling
to talk at length without sticking to a topic or getting to a point
the teenagers sat around the pizza parlor, rambling on about dating, homework, movies, and the local football team
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in roaming
to move about from place to place aimlessly
by tirelessly rambling around San Francisco for a week we probably saw more of it than many residents ever have
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in strolling
to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure
we're planning to ramble all over the highland moors when we're in Dartmoor
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in prolixity
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Recent Examples of rambling
Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
Kiehne was frustrated with the Joneses because the county government wouldn’t grade the dirt road up to his ranch, a rambling territory along the New Mexico border.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
Check out the fragrant Kelleher Rose Garden and the rambling Fenway Victory Gardens, originally planted by citizens in 1941 as a source of food during World War II.
—Kori Perten, AFAR Media, 24 Sep. 2025
Trump touched on those issues as well in a rambling UN address that more closely resembled his campaign speech, filled with attacks and lists of achievements.
—Daniel Bush, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
Cristin Milioti’s therapy notes, Seth Rogen’s rambling delight, Owen Cooper’s halting honesty, all examples of presence that will outlast the highlight reels of gowns and jokes.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Bargatze’s bit is predicated on the fact that most awards show speeches are self-indulgent, rambling tributes to other celebrities, which is fine.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The final part is a rather rambling segment philosophizing on proof of the afterlife—in line with dozens of similar texts from this era of psychical research.
—Alice Vernon
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
Roger Naylor shares 10 favorite Arizona destinations from his 50 years of rambling here.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As Minneapolis reels from the shooting, officials are combing through Westman’s rambling writings – which the shooter shared in YouTube videos timed to go online around the same time as the attack – to search for a motive.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Trump has long bragged about his cognitive ability, repeatedly offering to take a cognitive exam alongside Biden during the 2024 campaign, and has claimed his rambling is a purposeful speaking style.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
In the past several years, Edge had filed a string of civil lawsuits with rambling, sometimes conspiratorial claims.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
Kiehne was frustrated with the Joneses because the county government wouldn’t grade the dirt road up to his ranch, a rambling territory along the New Mexico border.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
Check out the fragrant Kelleher Rose Garden and the rambling Fenway Victory Gardens, originally planted by citizens in 1941 as a source of food during World War II.
—Kori Perten, AFAR Media, 24 Sep. 2025
Trump touched on those issues as well in a rambling UN address that more closely resembled his campaign speech, filled with attacks and lists of achievements.
—Daniel Bush, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
Cristin Milioti’s therapy notes, Seth Rogen’s rambling delight, Owen Cooper’s halting honesty, all examples of presence that will outlast the highlight reels of gowns and jokes.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Bargatze’s bit is predicated on the fact that most awards show speeches are self-indulgent, rambling tributes to other celebrities, which is fine.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
The final part is a rather rambling segment philosophizing on proof of the afterlife—in line with dozens of similar texts from this era of psychical research.
—Alice Vernon
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
What on Earth was Gabriel rambling on about before, anyway?
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
Roger Naylor shares 10 favorite Arizona destinations from his 50 years of rambling here.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As Minneapolis reels from the shooting, officials are combing through Westman’s rambling writings – which the shooter shared in YouTube videos timed to go online around the same time as the attack – to search for a motive.
—Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Trump has long bragged about his cognitive ability, repeatedly offering to take a cognitive exam alongside Biden during the 2024 campaign, and has claimed his rambling is a purposeful speaking style.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rambling
Adjective
-
While the unfinished project remains ambiguous, the viewer catches glimpses of what the plot might have been about, where Jiang's character has grown from a wandering youth to a wealthy entrepreneur.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
-
No wandering unfamiliar streets.—
Lisa Greissinger,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In this Pixar staple, elderly widower Carl sets off on an adventure to fulfill his late wife’s dream, only to be accompanied by an eager Boy Scout and an annoyingly talkative dog.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
16 Sep. 2025
-
After all, for seven seasons, Graham and Bledel starred as the unstoppable (and oh-so-talkative) mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the two besties at the center of Stars Hollow, a small Connecticut town with a very big personality.—
Samantha Highfill,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Norwood is just the latest example of the AI threat that rattling the TV and film industry.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Across the past decade, HARDY has become one of Nashville’s most prolific, versatile voices, a songwriter and artist who can put forth a twangy country anthem as easily as a bone-rattling rock song.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Observing this phenomenon could provide insight into the many alien worlds roaming freely through space.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Johnson County officials are turning to Fort Worth for help in capturing a pack of dogs roaming neighborhoods in Godley and threatening children’s safety.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Spend your days leaf peeping on a scenic drive, hiking to waterfalls tucked deep in the woods, strolling through quaint downtowns, and sitting down for dinner next to a crackling fireplace at the end of it all.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
-
There are farmers' markets all over the county offering everything from fruits and veggies to jams and maple syrup, and picturesque towns and villages like Fleischmanns, Walton, and Hobart provide scenic locales for strolling, shopping, and dining.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Steve Carell stars as the would-be villain with a heart of gold, Gru, leader of the babbling Minions.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
-
Developers feed their chatbot models on a torrent of material, much of it scraped from the web — everything from distinguished literary works to random babbling — as well as collections holding millions of books, articles, scientific papers and the like, some of it copyrighted.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Guadagnino encourages our doubts, shooting Maggie in exaggerated horror-movie closeups set to the doomy bass notes and shrieking winds of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But the question remains whether exaggerated fears are sufficient to trigger political violence.—
Ron Barrett,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With the game in danger of drifting, Zubimendi kept probing.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The pajama set is crafted from deep red silk and printed with abstract nude figures — a motif inspired by bodies in motion and drifting smoke, as well as the photography of Arno Nobles.—
Hanna McNeila,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rambling. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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