SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
roundabout
adjective
Indirect or following a longer, less straightforward course.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Indirect
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topRoundabout routes or explanations take an indirect course. Devious can suggest deliberate deception, while long-winded chiefly criticizes excessive length.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See roundabout in use
Her roundabout explanation reached the main point only near the end.
The coordinator's roundabout explanation added another difficulty, beginning with the history of the cafe before reaching the first action visitors needed to take.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
- ROUNDABOUT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
- Princeton WordNet 3.0: wn30-a-00763013, wn30-a-00767349
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license