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Showing results for "meandering"
Synonyms

meandering

American  
[mee-an-der-ing] / miˈæn dər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. taking a winding or indirect course.

    The city of Budapest is divided into two parts by the meandering Danube River, spanned by several stunning bridges.

  2. wandering aimlessly; proceeding seemingly without direction; rambling.

    I'm unsure how I will condense a meandering narrative of my experiences into a thirty-second elevator pitch.

    Things proceed in a meandering way between them, until suddenly their relationship comes to a devastatingly emotional climax.


noun

  1. the act of wandering or proceeding aimlessly or by a winding or indirect course.

    I digress—but I blame it on the mental meandering of age.

    After a coffee and some meandering among the displays on the hotel mezzanine, I left the convention.

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of meandering

First recorded in 1610–20; meander ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; meander ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense


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.

See Examples For:

Then there is the foreground, filled with plush growth, a meandering rivulet and—in the left-hand corner, in contrast to the natural wonders above—a man-made carved Meso-American stone pillar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

“A resort-style pool, tranquil lily ponds, meandering pathways, shaded terraces, and a full-size tennis court create moments of both recreation and quiet reflection, where the sounds of nature replace the pace of everyday life.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

After a campaign over hundreds of years saw rivers tamed for commercial use, he urged a shift back "toward natural rivers featuring meandering branches and floodplains that retain water across the landscape".

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Aged 10, he was introduced to the idea of spending several days on a narrowboat meandering through the countryside at a top speed of 4mph.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

There were no confusing, meandering statements with him.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

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