indirect
adjective
not in a direct course or path; deviating from a straight line; roundabout.
indirectness
-
a word derived from
indirect.
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.
For example, directness when speaking is common and valued in American business culture, but indirectness is the norm in some other cultures.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
This statement has everything: the bureaucratic indirectness of Soviet speech, the privileging of “fruits of labor” over the people who created them, and, of course, the utter disregard for human life.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 4, 2019
And, finally, he perhaps felt the time wasn’t right for any indirectness.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2017
Direct answers are important, but indirectness has its place too.
From US News ● Feb. 22, 2016
Miriam benignly gazed—it was the perfection of indirectness.
From The Tragic Muse by Henry James
