elliptical
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse.
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pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis.
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(of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of irrelevant matter.
to converse in elliptical sentences.
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(of a style of speaking or writing) tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure.
an elliptical prose that is difficult to translate.
noun
adjective
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relating to or having the shape of an ellipse
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relating to or resulting from ellipsis
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very condensed or concise, often so as to be obscure or ambiguous
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circumlocutory or long-winded
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Usage
The use of elliptical to mean circumlocutory should be avoided as it may be interpreted wrongly as meaning condensed or concise
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elliptical
1650–60; < Greek elleiptik ( ós ) defective ( see ellipsis, -tic) + -al 1
Explanation
The word elliptical is derived from the oval shape known as an ellipse. Many comets have an elliptical orbit around the Sun that brings them closer at some times and farther away at others. The adjective elliptical refers to the shape of an ellipse, which is an elongated circle, stretched into an oval. This word can also be used to describe a way of speaking that cuts out extra, unnecessary language. When writers use an elliptical style, it sometimes makes the work obscure and hard to interpret.
Vocabulary lists containing elliptical
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Space Science
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Earth and the Solar System - Middle School
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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.
The Moon's monthly orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical rather than circular, which means its distance from us varies and so not all full Moons are the same.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
In contrast, Artemis merely swung around the moon in a simple but more elliptical free-return trajectory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Some exoplanets follow highly elliptical orbits, meaning the amount of heat they receive from their star changes significantly over time.
From Science Daily • Mar. 25, 2026
Supermoon's occur because the Moon's orbit around Earth is not perfectly circular, but slightly elliptical - meaning it is sometimes closer to us than at other times.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
She told herself this often, and yet endless, elliptical thoughts of what could have happened churned in her head.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
