indirect

[in-duh-rekt, -dahy-]

adjective

1. not in a direct course or path; deviating from a straight line; roundabout.

   an indirect course in sailing.

2. coming or resulting otherwise than directly or immediately, as effects or consequences.

   an indirect advantage.

   Synonyms: secondary, unintentional, incidental

3. not direct in action or procedure.

   His methods are indirect but not dishonest.

4. not straightforward; devious; deceitful.

   He is known as a shady, indirect fellow.

5. not direct in bearing, application, force, etc..

   indirect evidence.

6. Grammar.,  of, relating to, or characteristic of indirect discourse.

   an indirect quote.

7. not descending in a direct line of succession, as a title or inheritance.

indirect

/ ˌɪndɪˈrɛkt /

adjective

1. deviating from a direct course or line; roundabout; circuitous

2. not coming as a direct effect or consequence; secondary

   indirect benefits

3. not straightforward, open, or fair; devious or evasive

   an indirect insult

4. (of a title or an inheritance) not inherited in an unbroken line of succession from father to son

Other Word Forms

• indirectly adverb
• indirectness noun
• semi-indirect adjective
• semi-indirectness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of indirect¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; a Middle English word from the Medieval Latin word indīrēctus; in- ³, direct

Example Sentences

However, the U.K. government blocked the purchase amid concerns about potential indirect foreign government involvement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Historically, catalyst engineers relied on more indirect measurements at idealized conditions to understand molecules on surfaces. Instead, this new measurement method provides a tangible description of surface bonding at catalytically-relevant conditions."

Read more on Science Daily

Professor John Tregoning, a vaccine immunologist, says the benefits are mostly indirect and much of what makes people feel healthier in winter may come down to stress.

Read more on BBC

The sheer size of it makes creating direct and indirect cooking zones while still having enough room for everything easy, and when grilling for a crowd, it gets your lucky gift recipient back to socializing.

Read more on Salon

The Obama-era National Labor Relations Board’s joint-employer rule put parent companies on the hook for labor violations of their franchisees if they exercised “indirect control” over the employment conditions of their workers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ambiguous 
• ancillary 
• circuitous 
• implied 
• incidental 
• oblique 
• tortuous