circumlocution
a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
a roundabout expression.
Origin of circumlocution
1Other 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 WoodI took him outside the camp and without any circumlocution related the facts concerning his sister and Kirst.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh PendexterHe always disdained circumlocution, prided himself upon the directness and simplicity of his address.
At Last | Marion HarlandThe Polish composer Sowinski declared without circumlocution that Chopin "wrote admirably for the orchestra."
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician | Frederick Niecks
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
/ (ˌsɜːkəmləˈkjuːʃən) /
an indirect way of expressing something
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
[ (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.
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