circumlocutionary
Using too many words
Circumlocutionary describes speech or writing that uses more words than necessary, talking around a point rather than stating it directly.
A circumlocutionary response avoids giving a straight answer.
The style may be evasive, pompous, or simply wordy: His circumlocutionary explanation left everyone more confused than before.
Excessively wordy in speech
- long-windedExcessively wordy, tediously so
- wordyUsing more language than necessary
- ramblingLong-winded and unfocused
- garrulousTediously long-winded
loquacious · voluble · diffuse · discursive · pleonastic · tautological · redundant · superfluous
Suggesting indirectly
- implyingSuggesting without stating directly
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
- allusiveContaining indirect references
- insinuatingIndirectly suggesting something
veiled · subtextual · nuanced · elliptical · tangential · implicit · inferred · coded
Not straight or immediate
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- prevaricatingAvoiding direct honesty
equivocating · hedging · deflecting · cagey · guarded · diplomatic · tactful · dissembling
Not easily understood
- opaqueImpassable to light
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- abstruseDifficult to comprehend
- arcaneUnderstood by few
inscrutable · nebulous · muddled · impenetrable · labyrinthine · tortuous · bewildering · confusing
Mild substitute for bluntness
- verbiageOverabundance of language
- phraseologyManner of verbal expression
- locutionWord or phrase choice
- dictionChoice of words
oratory · rhetoric · eloquence · expression · articulation · flourish · embellishment · amplification
prolix
Excessively wordy in speech
- long-windedExcessively wordy, tediously so
- wordyUsing more language than necessary
- ramblingLong-winded and unfocused
garrulous · loquacious · voluble · diffuse · discursive · pleonastic · tautological · redundant · superfluous · bombastic
hinting
Suggesting indirectly
- implyingSuggesting without stating directly
- suggestiveHinting at impropriety
- allusiveContaining indirect references
insinuating · veiled · subtextual · nuanced · elliptical · tangential · implicit · inferred · coded · roundabout
indirect
Not straight or immediate
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
prevaricating · equivocating · hedging · deflecting · cagey · guarded · diplomatic · tactful · dissembling · misleading
unclear
Not easily understood
- opaqueImpassable to light
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- abstruseDifficult to comprehend
arcane · inscrutable · nebulous · muddled · impenetrable · labyrinthine · tortuous · bewildering · confusing · incomprehensible
euphemism
Mild substitute for bluntness
- verbiageOverabundance of language
- phraseologyManner of verbal expression
- locutionWord or phrase choice
diction · oratory · rhetoric · eloquence · expression · articulation · flourish · embellishment · amplification
circumlocutionarydirect
Undeviating or to guide
straightforward · blunt · forthright · plain-spoken · candid