circumlocutory
Taking the scenic route
Circumlocutory describes speech or writing that takes the long way around—using many words where few would do, or talking around a subject rather than addressing it directly.
A circumlocutory answer avoids the point; a circumlocutory style buries meaning in unnecessary phrases.
His circumlocutory explanation left everyone more confused than before.
Using more language than necessary
- long-windedExcessively wordy, tediously so
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
- diffuseSpread thinly throughout
- redundantExceeding what's needed
pleonastic · tautological · garrulous · loquacious · voluble · overwrought · padded · inflated
Circular junction for traffic
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- obliqueAngled, not straightforward
- periphrasticExpressed through excess words
- meanderingFollowing a winding course
allusive · elliptical · tangential · digressive · implicit · insinuative · winding · convoluted
Avoiding direct response
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- guardedWary and restrained
- cageyReluctant to share information
- equivocalUncertain in meaning
ambiguous · vague · elusive · diplomatic · tactful · hedging · deflecting · sidestepping
wordy
Using more language than necessary
- long-windedExcessively wordy, tediously so
- prolixExcessively wordy in speech
- diffuseSpread thinly throughout
redundant · pleonastic · tautological · garrulous · loquacious · voluble · overwrought · padded · inflated · bloated
roundabout
Circular junction for traffic
- circuitousIndirect, winding path
- obliqueAngled, not straightforward
- periphrasticExpressed through excess words
meandering · allusive · elliptical · tangential · digressive · implicit · insinuative · winding · convoluted · tortuous
evasive
Avoiding direct response
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
- guardedWary and restrained
- cageyReluctant to share information
equivocal · ambiguous · vague · elusive · diplomatic · tactful · hedging · deflecting · sidestepping · dodging
eloquent, colloquial, soliloquy, interlocutor, circumlocution, ventriloquist, circumlocutions