circuitous

[ ser-kyoo-i-tuhs ]

adjective

1. roundabout; not direct:

   a circuitous route; a circuitous argument.

   Synonyms: indirect, winding, circular

   Antonyms: direct, straight

circuitous

/ səˈkjuːɪtəs /

adjective

1. indirect and lengthy; roundabout

   a circuitous route

Derived Forms

• cirˈcuitously, adverb
• cirˈcuitousness, noun

Other Words From

• cir·cui·tous·ly adverb
• cir·cui·tous·ness noun
• noncir·cui·tous adjective
• noncir·cui·tous·ly adverb
• noncir·cui·tous·ness noun
• uncir·cui·tous adjective
• uncir·cui·tous·ly adverb
• uncir·cui·tous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of circuitous¹

1655–65; < Medieval Latin circuitōsus, equivalent to circuit ( us ) circuit + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

It’s the circuitous route they traveled to reach that spot that is so troublesome.

From Los Angeles Times

Like passengers on a dark amusement ride, bundles of colorful magazine pages, printed a week earlier, began a wild, circuitous journey, through tunnels and up ramps, that lasted a few minutes.

From New York Times

"So I've gone from 17 to 70 and eventually got here. A long, circuitous route."

From BBC

To get there, the spacecraft has to follow a circuitous flight path that so far has included a swing around Earth, two Venus flybys, and three passes by Mercury.

From Science Magazine

It cemented Auster as a stylish writer, one whose distinctive narrators searched for meaning and identity, circuitously and in perpetuity, against the constraints of art and language.

From New York Times

Related Words

• devious
• labyrinthine
• meandering
• rambling
• tortuous