indirectly
Americanadverb
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in a roundabout way; not by the shortest or straightest path.
Since I had time to spare I took a bus that went a bit indirectly to my destination, and saw places on the way that I never knew existed.
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by a connection that is not immediate.
We all pay into the federal tax system indirectly when we purchase goods from companies that pay taxes.
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in a way that is veiled or not straightforward; obliquely.
I use poetic language to speak indirectly about those things that seem to slip from our grasp as soon as we name them.
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deviously or covertly.
The ad comes from a group indirectly funded by the cult and calling itself by another name.
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Grammar. as indirect discourse; not as an actual quotation.
If I’m reporting the person’s speech indirectly, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he,” or “they.”
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indirectly
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.
And the second was the directory in which the file was put ahead of publication allowed anyone to download a file directly.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025
The IRS in May announced that it would launch a pilot program for the 2024 filing season to allow taxpayers to file directly to the agency for free.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023
On Thursday, the agency unveiled an $80 billion plan that includes transforming itself into a “digital first” tax collector that would allow Americans to file directly to the federal government at no cost.
From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2023
Asked about the photo, Cashore said that the Buttigieg campaign had arranged the portrait and that he had delivered the file directly to the campaign, without ever sending it to anyone else.
From Slate • Dec. 20, 2019
The wayfarers proceeded in their single file directly to the great iron-bound oaken door of the tower, and those who were mounted got down.
From The Old Tobacco Shop A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure by Bowen, 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.
