indirectly

American  

[in-duh-rekt-lee, -dahy-] / ˌɪn dəˈrɛkt li, -daɪ- /

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. deviously or covertly.

   The ad comes from a group indirectly funded by the cult and calling itself by another name.

5. 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.”

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Other Word Forms

• semi-indirectly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of indirectly

indirect ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indirectly

If the CIA operated indirectly, often several steps removed from the artists who produced imaginative work in which they believed, it’s unclear how much credit—or blame—the agency deserved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

A kitchen colander is one way to indirectly observe the eclipse.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The yen’s slide to a 40-year low indirectly threatened to bump up U.S. interest rates and risked throwing a wrench in plans to pull billions of dollars of Japanese investment into the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Even inland species, such as tilapia or pond-based farmed shrimp, she said, could be affected by El Niño indirectly through a breakdown in fish meal supplies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

But if you count all the corn we eat, directly and indirectly the average American eats a ton of corn every year.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan