indirect
Americanadjective
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not in a direct course or path; deviating from a straight line; roundabout.
an indirect course in sailing.
-
coming or resulting otherwise than directly or immediately, as effects or consequences.
an indirect advantage.
- Synonyms:
- secondary, unintentional, incidental
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not direct in action or procedure.
His methods are indirect but not dishonest.
-
not straightforward; devious; deceitful.
He is known as a shady, indirect fellow.
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not direct in bearing, application, force, etc..
indirect evidence.
-
Grammar. of, relating to, or characteristic of indirect discourse.
an indirect quote.
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not descending in a direct line of succession, as a title or inheritance.
adjective
-
deviating from a direct course or line; roundabout; circuitous
-
not coming as a direct effect or consequence; secondary
indirect benefits
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not straightforward, open, or fair; devious or evasive
an indirect insult
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(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
Etymology
Origin of indirect
First recorded in 1350–1400; a Middle English word from the Medieval Latin word indīrēctus; see in- 3, direct
Explanation
Something indirect is not hitting the target exactly. Indirect sunlight doesn't shine right on you — it reflects off a window or is muted by a shade. If direct makes you think of a straight line, then indirect looks like a crooked one — there are turns and stops along the way. People who are sneaky might get what they want through indirect means, like going behind people's backs. If you go to school using side streets and back roads, that's an indirect path. Anything indirect is not taking the quickest or shortest route, but sometimes being indirect gets the job done.
Vocabulary lists containing indirect
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Geography and World Regions
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Workshop 2, Part 2
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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.
When her clients raise the subject, they tend to be indirect rather than admit they’re struggling.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
The effects are indirect, which makes them easy to ignore, but they’re real.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
The team also used indirect calorimetry with respiratory gas analysis to better understand energy use.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
The remainder - they told BBC Verify - would be "indirect" job losses, meaning people that benefit from the oil and gas industry indirectly such as taxi drivers and hospitality workers.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
A third principle is that indirect discourse is not always introduced with an expression like he said that or she thought that; sometimes it is implicit in the context.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
