rambling

American  

[ram-bling] / ˈræm blɪŋ /

adjective

1. aimlessly wandering.

2. taking an irregular course; straggling.

   a rambling brook.

3. spread out irregularly in various directions.

   a rambling mansion.

4. straying from one subject to another; desultory.

   a rambling novel.

   Synonyms:

   discursive

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rambling British  

/ ˈræmblɪŋ /

adjective

1. straggling or sprawling haphazardly; unplanned

   a rambling old house

2. (of speech or writing) lacking a coherent plan; diffuse and disconnected

3. (of a plant, esp a rose) profusely climbing and straggling

4. nomadic; wandering

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Other Word Forms

• ramblingly adverb
• ramblingness noun
• unrambling adjective

Etymology

Origin of rambling

First recorded in 1615–25; ramble + -ing ²

Example Sentences

I’m rambling, and my face is flushed, and I hope he can’t see it, but at the same time, I’m still leaning into the arm he has wrapped around me.

From Literature

But this rambling structure is also what gives “Marc by Sofia” its edge.

From Salon

They stay in a rambling Victorian house in the Garden District and record in a studio that’s haunted.

From Salon

“With very mixed, rambling and often incoherent messages still coming out of Washington, we would suggest that this is still no time for complacency,” First Abu Dhabi Bank analysts said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Australian supermarket giant Woolworths has been forced to rein in an AI-powered customer service assistant after users reported it had been rambling about its mother.

From Barron's

Related Words

• circuitous
• disjointed
• incoherent
• long-winded