circumlocution

[ sur-kuhm-loh-kyoo-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: circumlocutioncircumlocutionarycircumlocutory on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.

  2. a roundabout expression.

Origin of circumlocution

1
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin circumlocūtiōn- (stem of circumlocūtiō). See circum-, locution

Other words for circumlocution

Other words from circumlocution

  • cir·cum·loc·u·to·ry [sur-kuhm-lok-yuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ˌsɜr kəmˈlɒk yəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, cir·cum·lo·cu·tion·al, cir·cum·lo·cu·tion·ar·y, adjective
  • un·cir·cum·loc·u·to·ry, adjective

Words Nearby circumlocution

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use circumlocution in a sentence

  • On Monday, Mitt Romney stumbled into another ugly-yet-true circumlocution.

  • Mr. Kedge, without any circumlocution, asked whether he remembered any clerk of the name of Gordon having been in the house.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • I took him outside the camp and without any circumlocution related the facts concerning his sister and Kirst.

    A Virginia Scout | Hugh Pendexter
  • He always disdained circumlocution, prided himself upon the directness and simplicity of his address.

    At Last | Marion Harland
  • The Polish composer Sowinski declared without circumlocution that Chopin "wrote admirably for the orchestra."

  • I have little time and no taste for circumlocution; I cannot conceal from myself that I am no favorite with your sister.

    Barrington | Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for circumlocution

circumlocution

/ (ˌsɜːkəmləˈkjuːʃən) /


noun
  1. an indirect way of expressing something

  2. an indirect expression

Derived forms of circumlocution

  • circumlocutory (ˌsɜːkəmˈlɒkjʊtərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for circumlocution

circumlocution

[ (sur-kuhm-loh-kyooh-shuhn) ]


Roundabout speech or writing: “The driveway was not unlike that military training device known as an obstacle course” is a circumlocution for “The driveway resembled an obstacle course.” Circumlocution comes from Latin words meaning “speaking around.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.