as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
the studio's statement that "the film's earnings did not live up to expectations" was a circumlocutory admission that the movie was a flop
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumlocutory
Adjective
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Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025 -
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Words, including those of artists themselves—as prolix in their way as critics, curators, and historians—can serve vision but can also deflect from it.—
Barry Schwabsky,
ARTnews.com,
3 Sep. 2019
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In 1949, a young American artist named Ray Johnson left Black Mountain College near Asheville, N.C., moved to New York City and began to explore his prolix talents, both visual and verbal.—
Roberta Smith,
New York Times,
30 May 2024
Adjective
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My favorite early fact about Pope Bob from Chicago comes from his talkative brother John.—
Kathryn Jean Lopez,
National Review,
12 May 2025
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Audiences that get hyped up, like Thai audiences, are like talkative people.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The lawmaker said that the usable speech only came after four or five prompts that generated unusable material, either too verbose or oddly phrased, an illustration of how important the input into the AI is to the result.—
Globe Staff,
BostonGlobe.com,
25 Jan. 2023
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The verbose coach was at somewhat of a loss for words, opting to forgo opening remarks in his postgame press conference and instead diving right into questions.—
Tom Green | [email protected],
al,
18 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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The ensemble was crafted with a form-fitting silhouette and included such exaggerated elements as sharp shoulders.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
23 May 2025
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Her ensemble also featured a black floor-length gown with exaggerated shoulders and a turquoise bow belt extending into a floor-grazing sash.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps as a result of his circuitous journey into the profession, Wei is well aware of the obstacles on the road to becoming a CPA—and has devoted himself to helping others find their way to the field.—
Steel Rose, CPA,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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The circuitous route that the blues took to recognition as an American art form seemed profound to Coogler.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the clip, Harris gave a wordy answer when asked about Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
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Though some critics at the time were exasperated by having to read such a big, wordy book, The Times selected it as one of the best books of the year.—
Carolyn Kellogg,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Circumlocutory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumlocutory. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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