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elliptically

American  
[ih-lip-tik-lee] / ɪˈlɪp tɪk li /

adverb

  1. in the form of an ellipse.

  2. in an elliptical manner; by an ellipse.

  3. with great economy of words or expression; concisely.

    to speak elliptically.

  4. without sufficient transition or a logical connection between thoughts, ideas, or expressions; ambiguously or cryptically.

    to jump elliptically from generalities to specifics.

Etymology

Origin of elliptically

First recorded in 1810–20; elliptical + -ly

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.

Elliptically, and 'for short,' he relies on them as much as any one, ending upon innumerable occasions that their comparative emptiness makes of them useful substitutes for the overfulness of the facts he meets, with.

From Meaning of Truth by James, William

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.