circumlocution
noun
a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
circumlocutions
-
pluralof circumlocution.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
But some are prone to ludicrous circumlocutions like “Johnny faces challenges in the lived experience of interactions with his peer group in educational spaces,” instead of “Johnny doesn’t get along with his classmates.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
When a wife reads aloud from a book “written with a sizable number of circumlocutions, which were somehow addictive,” she could be describing Nopca’s stories, which have the intimate, meandering quality of neighborhood gossip.
From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2021
It extended even to matters of language: Although his English was fluent, he peppered it with French circumlocutions and grammatical constructions.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2016
Here at last, it seemed, was someone willing to cut through the bland circumlocutions and communicate what no one else was brave enough to spell out.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 25, 2015
The convoluted syntax, multiple negatives, indefinite antecedents, and masterful circumlocutions of this statement defy comprehension.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
