indirectly

American  

[in-duh-rekt-lee, -dahy-] / ˌɪn dəˈrɛkt li, -daɪ- /

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. deviously or covertly.

   The ad comes from a group indirectly funded by the cult and calling itself by another name.

5. 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.”

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Other Word Forms

• semi-indirectly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of indirectly

indirect ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indirectly

Most of the losses were caused, directly or indirectly, by presidential removal.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

That is why friendship is usually produced indirectly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

We must, therefore, leave the Science article behind and rely on other kinds of evidence to get to grips with the structure of Neanderthal groups indirectly.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

Weist has repeatedly gravitated toward systems that most people encounter only indirectly, transforming her research processes into subjects of aesthetic and political investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

During the next four centuries its realm steadily expanded until it ruled directly over much of central Mexico and indirectly, through puppet governments, as far south as Guatemala.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann