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
Beneath the malapropisms and the circumlocutions, though, Palin turned out to have a shrewder feel for Republican voters than those in the press who scorned her, and who underestimated him.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2022
In truth, while Ros’s pathos-filled classic now reads as unintentionally comic, its euphuistic style isn’t that much different from the circumlocutions found in late Henry James.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 21, 2018
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
