circuitous

[ser-kyoo-i-tuhs]

adjective

1. roundabout; not direct.

   a circuitous route; a circuitous argument.

   Synonyms: indirect, winding, circular
   Antonyms: direct, straight

circuitous

/ səˈkjuːɪtəs /

adjective

1. indirect and lengthy; roundabout

   a circuitous route

Other Word Forms

• circuitously adverb
• circuitousness noun
• noncircuitous adjective
• noncircuitously adverb
• noncircuitousness noun
• uncircuitous adjective
• uncircuitously adverb
• uncircuitousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of circuitous¹

1655–65; < Medieval Latin circuitōsus, equivalent to circuit ( us ) circuit + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

Even with dispensation, a look at the map shows Putin may have to take a circuitous route.

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But it was a long, circuitous road to get there.

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They were the culmination of a typically circuitous series of reflections by the American president on the happenings in China over the past several days.

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Tracking maps produced by local experts show swirling masses of Shahed drones, sometimes taking circuitous routes across Ukraine before homing in on their targets.

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After nine hours, the exhausted guardsmen arrived in Sacramento early on the morning of July 4 — having taken a train through a circuitous route to avoid trouble.

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Related Words

• devious 
• labyrinthine 
• meandering 
• rambling 
• tortuous