indirectness

Not saying directly

Indirectness is the quality of not going straight to a point or destination.

In communication, indirectness means conveying meaning through implication, circumlocution, or hints rather than stating things plainly: His indirectness made it hard to know what he actually wanted.

Some cultures value indirectness as a form of politeness or face-saving, while others find it frustrating or evasive.

The term also applies to physical routes or methods that avoid the most direct path.

evasion

avoidance

Deliberate keeping away

sidestepEvade by moving aside
dodgeAvoid by quick movement
deflectTurn from course

hedge · skirt · elude · bypass · parry · duck · circumvent · noncommittal · prevaricate · equivocate

implication

hint

Indirect suggestion

suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
innuendoOblique disparaging remark
insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion

allusion · inference · connotation · understatement · subtext · unspoken · implicit · veiled · tacit · unstated

diplomacy

tact

Sensitivity in speech

discretionCareful judgment in speech
delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
finesseSubtle, deft handling

politeness · courtesy · sensitivity · tactfulness · prudence · protocol · etiquette · decorum · face-saving · softening

circumlocution

roundabout

Circular junction for traffic

verbosityUnnecessary word excess
wordinessExcessive use of language
long-windedExcessively wordy, tediously so

rambling · digression · tangential · prolixity · diffuseness · meandering · discursiveness · obliqueness · circuitousness

ambiguity

vagueness

Absence of precision

equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
obscurityState of being unknown
uncertaintyState of being unsure

obfuscation · imprecision · haziness · murkiness · indefiniteness · nebulousness · double-talk · nonspecific · unclear · cryptic

indirectness

avoidance

hint

tact

roundabout

vagueness

indirectness

Opposites

Categories

Family