indirectly
Americanadverb
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in a roundabout way; not by the shortest or straightest path.
Since I had time to spare I took a bus that went a bit indirectly to my destination, and saw places on the way that I never knew existed.
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by a connection that is not immediate.
We all pay into the federal tax system indirectly when we purchase goods from companies that pay taxes.
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in a way that is veiled or not straightforward; obliquely.
I use poetic language to speak indirectly about those things that seem to slip from our grasp as soon as we name them.
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deviously or covertly.
The ad comes from a group indirectly funded by the cult and calling itself by another name.
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Grammar. as indirect discourse; not as an actual quotation.
If I’m reporting the person’s speech indirectly, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he,” or “they.”
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indirectly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In their leaves, plants create much of the oxygen we breathe and, directly or indirectly, nearly all the food we eat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The family of the boy, named Mael, has said in a statement that he had "absolutely no involvement, whether directly or indirectly, in any activist or political activity whatsoever".
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Additionally, CNN reported, it will be “financed with the help of sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi that will indirectly own just under a 50-percent equity stake in the merged Paramount–WBD.”
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
It also argued that shareholders of listed Tata companies are indirectly affected by Tata Sons' decisions, even though they have no direct voting rights in the holding company.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
There is the part where you choose every action so that it doesn’t hurt the one you love, even indirectly.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
