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definitions

circumlocution

[sur-kuhm-loh-kyoo-shuhn]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circumlocution ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
a roundabout expression.

RELATED WORDS

euphemism, diffuseness, wordiness, roundabout, prolixity, pleonasm, verbiage, indirectness, tautology, periphrasis, discursiveness, periphrase, verbality

Origin of circumlocution

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin circumlocūtiōn- (stem of circumlocūtiō). See circum-, locution
Related formscir·cum·loc·u·to·ry [sur-kuhm-lok-yuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˌsɜr kəmˈlɒk yəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, cir·cum·lo·cu·tion·al, cir·cum·lo·cu·tion·ar·y, adjectiveun·cir·cum·loc·u·to·ry, adjective

Synonyms for circumlocution

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circumlocution ON THESAURUS.COM
1. rambling, meandering, verbosity, prolixity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for circumlocution

Historical Examples of circumlocution

  • All this is true, but the Circumlocution Office went beyond it.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • Sometimes, angry spirits attacked the Circumlocution Office.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • The Barnacle family had for some time helped to administer the Circumlocution Office.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • I am glad to see you again, and in a healthier place than the Circumlocution Office.'

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • You are the levers of the Circumlocution Office, and the rulers of men.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for circumlocution

circumlocution

noun

an indirect way of expressing something
an indirect expression
Derived Formscircumlocutory (ˌsɜːkəmˈlɒkjʊtərɪ, -trɪ), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for circumlocution
n.

c.1400, from Latin circumlocutionem (nominative circumlocutio) "a speaking around" (the topic), from circum- "around" (see circum-) + locutionem (nominative locutio) "a speaking," noun of action from past participle stem of loqui "to speak" (see locution). A loan-translation of Greek periphrasis (see periphrasis).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for circumlocution

circumlocution

[(sur-kuhm-loh-kyooh-shuhn)]

Roundabout speech or writing: “The driveway was not unlike that military training device known as an obstacle course” is a circumlocution for “The driveway resembled an obstacle course.” Circumlocution comes from Latin words meaning “speaking around.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.