1
as in ambiguity
deliberate evasion in speech
rather than answering the question directly, he resorted to circumlocution, which made her suspect that he was hiding something
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in repetition
the use of too many words to express an idea
your papers have to be five pages long, but that's five pages of substance, not circumlocution
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of circumlocution in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.
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Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
By condensing Balzac’s opus to a few paragraphs, Barthelme was having a laugh not just at his predecessor’s genteel circumlocution—his tendency to describe buildings and manufacturing procedures and family trees in lavish detail—but also at the conventions of novelistic mimesis itself.
—Giles Harvey, The New York Review of Books, 23 Apr. 2020
This year, House Republicans unveiled a new Conservative Climate Caucus that, in a fascinating circumlocution, sort of recognizes that fossil fuels are causing the planet to warm.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2022
Powell’s statement yesterday (September 22) is the masterpiece of its type, building upon fifteen months of this playful circumlocution, downshifting into bureaucratic blandness.
—George Calhoun, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
But the national crisis in policing and the response to it isn’t a matter of arid elite debate or familiar political circumlocution and compromise anymore.
—David Roth, The New Republic, 11 June 2020
These circumlocutions are meant to emphasize the fact that Africans traded like chattel were not, in their essence, slaves but human beings.
—Lionel Shriver, Harper's magazine, 25 Nov. 2019
Although incredibly popular, with 60% approval ratings, Ahok was considered by many to be a divisive figure, by virtue both of his minority status and of his bluntness, which ran counter to Javanese traditions of deference and circumlocution.
—The Economist, 12 Apr. 2018
Mungiu, like many Romanian directors, has a sadistic streak for circumlocution.
—Jordan Hoffman, VanityFair.com, 6 Apr. 2017
Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
By condensing Balzac’s opus to a few paragraphs, Barthelme was having a laugh not just at his predecessor’s genteel circumlocution—his tendency to describe buildings and manufacturing procedures and family trees in lavish detail—but also at the conventions of novelistic mimesis itself.
—Giles Harvey, The New York Review of Books, 23 Apr. 2020
This year, House Republicans unveiled a new Conservative Climate Caucus that, in a fascinating circumlocution, sort of recognizes that fossil fuels are causing the planet to warm.
—Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2022
Powell’s statement yesterday (September 22) is the masterpiece of its type, building upon fifteen months of this playful circumlocution, downshifting into bureaucratic blandness.
—George Calhoun, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
But the national crisis in policing and the response to it isn’t a matter of arid elite debate or familiar political circumlocution and compromise anymore.
—David Roth, The New Republic, 11 June 2020
These circumlocutions are meant to emphasize the fact that Africans traded like chattel were not, in their essence, slaves but human beings.
—Lionel Shriver, Harper's magazine, 25 Nov. 2019
Although incredibly popular, with 60% approval ratings, Ahok was considered by many to be a divisive figure, by virtue both of his minority status and of his bluntness, which ran counter to Javanese traditions of deference and circumlocution.
—The Economist, 12 Apr. 2018
Mungiu, like many Romanian directors, has a sadistic streak for circumlocution.
—Jordan Hoffman, VanityFair.com, 6 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumlocution
Noun
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But banks can use loopholes or ambiguities to deny reimbursement.Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2024
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There’s no room for ambiguity in this digital arena; the rules are clear, the consequences are immediate and success depends on flawless team execution.Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Perform this exercise for three sets of 10-20 repetitions (reps).Jakob Roze, Health, 22 Oct. 2024
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When trust is established, your messaging can resonate more, requiring less repetition and making your communication efforts more efficient.Carol Howley, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
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If stuck, players can hit the shuffle button, which will mix up where the words appear on the screen.Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
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Games include candy cornhole, scarecrow shuffle, jack 0'lantern toss, spin the wheel and bobbing for apples.Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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There is one sort of equivocation that does occur in Snyder’s paintings, and that is especially important to them.Barry Schwabsky, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2024
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There are plenty of public policies that require some caution and equivocation, but housing construction, especially in transit-rich areas, is not one of them.New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2024
Noun
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But many French are deeply sick of hearing his volcanic verbosity.Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
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Williams is regarded as a smart player, but has always played with a lot of emotion — and verbosity.Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
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To be as green as possible, the French maker of fragrance diffusion technologies Scentys introduced at Luxe Pack its new invention: sustainable, reusable capsules created with a blend of metal and plastic.Jennifer Weil, WWD, 22 Oct. 2024
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Popular on Variety The aroma will be activated at Alamo theaters via Joya Studio’s atomization technology, which employs cold-air diffusion to disperse scented molecules as fine, dry air without the use of heat, water or alcohol.Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Just as the limitless space of web text tempts writers to indulge their logorrhea, the blinking, ever-transmuting, cartoonish interface of web browsers prevents would-be readers from paying attention to anything for longer than about 7 seconds.Barton Swaim, WSJ, 19 Sep. 2022
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Nor has Musk kept his Twitter logorrhea in check in other respects.Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022
Noun
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On their website, the three yellow stripes are prominently featured on the website under the Black Lives Matter wordage, and used on their social media accounts.Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2023
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Reached by the Union-Tribune Wednesday morning, Lindsey differed with McGillis’ wordage.Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near circumlocution
Cite this Entry
“Circumlocution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumlocution. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.
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