Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for rambling on Thesaurus.com aimlessly wandering. taking an irregular course; straggling: a rambling brook. spread out irregularly in various directions: a rambling mansion. straying from one subject to another; desultory: a rambling novel. Show More
Origin of rambling First recorded in
1615–25; ramble +
-ing2 Related forms ram·bling·ly , adverb ram·bling·ness , noun un·ram·bling , adjective verb (used without object), ram·bled, ram·bling. to wander around in a leisurely, aimless manner: They rambled through the shops until closing time. to take a course with many turns or windings, as a stream or path. to grow in a random, unsystematic fashion: The vine rambled over the walls and tree trunks. to talk or write in a discursive, aimless way (usually followed by on ): The speaker rambled on with anecdote after anecdote. Show More
verb (used with object), ram·bled, ram·bling. to walk aimlessly or idly over or through: They spent the spring afternoon rambling woodland paths. Show More
a walk without a definite route, taken merely for pleasure. Show More
Origin of ramble First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for rambling disjointed ,
circuitous ,
long-winded ,
incoherent ,
diffuse ,
confused ,
covering ,
scattered ,
trailing ,
strewn ,
straggling ,
desultory ,
digressive ,
discursive ,
incongruous ,
irregular ,
prolix ,
periphrastic ,
gangling ,
random Examples from the Web for rambling Contemporary Examples of rambling In rambling posts, he called himself a loser, and wrote that he must be either bipolar or a psychopath.
The rocker posted a rambling video on his Facebook page claiming he's broke and penniless.
After about one minute of rambling , a woman runs up on stage and directs someone to turn his microphone off.
If I could sum it up in a few choice words, I would, but instead I hem and haw, before stumbling through some rambling rejoinder.
Yet the show has gotten a deal of negative criticism for being inchoate, unselective, too rambling , and uneven.
Historical Examples of rambling We had to keep watch all last night over the horses to keep them from rambling .
But this is rambling far from the momentous twenty-first of June, my day of triumph.
A girl, a well born girl, rambling the woods all night with her fiancé!
It was a rambling old place that seemed to have been cut out of a barn.
He was lying hard on the place of his pain and rambling in delirium.
British Dictionary definitions for rambling straggling or sprawling haphazardly; unplanned a rambling old house (of speech or writing) lacking a coherent plan; diffuse and disconnected (of a plant, esp a rose) profusely climbing and straggling nomadic; wandering Show More
to stroll about freely, as for relaxation, with no particular direction (of paths, streams, etc) to follow a winding course; meander (of plants) to grow in a random fashion (of speech, writing, etc) to lack organization Show More
a leisurely stroll, esp in the countryside Show More
Word Origin for ramble C17: probably related to Middle Dutch rammelen to roam (of animals); see ram
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rambling adj. 1623, present participle adjective from ramble (v.).
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v. mid-15c., perhaps frequentative of romen "to walk, go" (see roam ), perhaps via romblen (late 14c.) "to ramble." The vowel change perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch rammelen , a derivative of rammen "copulate," "used of the night wanderings of the amorous cat" [Weekley]. Meaning "to talk or write incoherently" is from 1630s. Related: Rambled ; rambling .
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n. "a roving or wandering," 1650s, from ramble (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
