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.

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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

• meanderingly
  adverb
• unmeandering
  adjective
• unmeanderingly
  adverb

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

"Kank lived in a landscape of meandering rivers and streams with seasonal ponds, inhabited by aquatic plants such as water lilies and animals including fish, insects, and various molluscs," says Dr. Motta.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

His lines are lazy, woozy, all-forgiving reportage about the seasons’ slow parade, the meandering ongoingness of our world: arrival, decay and the modest glory in between.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Whether Tuesday’s rebound marks the entrance to that path, or another meandering trail of foggy wartime reactions, remains to be seen.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

“The Complex,” more meandering and less searing — is a departure from such detonation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

Away from the cocoon of the car with those velvety songs and that meandering chatter, little beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger