meandering

[ mee-an-der-ing ]

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 Words From

• me·an·der·ing·ly adverb
• un·me·an·der·ing adjective
• un·me·an·der·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of meandering¹

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

There’s a phase between wakefulness and sleep known as hypnagogia, during which we may experience hallucinations and our thoughts become illogical and meandering.

From New York Times

Other coaches could lose their players through meandering mottos.

From Los Angeles Times

We cross a vast countryside - scrub and grassland plains interspersed with views of lush farms – and pass a meandering river, craggy terrain and undulating hills.

From BBC

Historian Heather Cox Richardson described it in her daily political newsletter, beginning with Trump's "long, meandering story" about golf legend Arnold Palmer "that ended with praise for Palmer's ... anatomy":

From Salon

Trump’s meandering replies consisted of the usual grab-bag of tangential anecdotes and endless grievances, his interviewer repeatedly forced to keep him on track by reminding him of the topic he was supposed to be discussing.

From Salon