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.
Within commodities, copper is among BofA’s top picks as powering AI will indirectly drive demand for the metal on persistent supply tightness, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
At the time, Rudin acknowledged his "history of troubling interactions with colleagues" and said he was "profoundly sorry for the pain my behaviour caused to individuals, directly and indirectly".
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Virtually every advanced military in the world depends directly or indirectly on the country’s supply chain of rare earths.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
Cogen sold a combined 986,540 indirectly owned shares across five trusts and holding companies that he manages, fetching a total of $106 million.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
By protecting thepanda—and, by necessary extension, its habitat—conservationists are also indirectly protecting the many other species that share the panda’s ecosystem, that are under its “umbrella.”
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
