Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The use of unnecessarily wordy language, especially in being vague or evasive.
- noun A roundabout or evasive expression.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A roundabout way of speaking; an indirect mode of statement; particularly, a studied indirectness or evasiveness of language in speaking or writing.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language; a periphrase.
- noun a term of ridicule for a governmental office where business is delayed by passing through the hands of different officials.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
roundabout orindirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea. - noun A roundabout
expression . See alsoeuphemism
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
- noun an indirect way of expressing something
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It comes to the same thing, no doubt, but the circumlocution is significant.
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Another unnecessary use of words and phrases is that which is termed circumlocution, a going around the bush when there is no occasion for it, -- save to fill space.
How to Speak and Write Correctly Joseph Devlin
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His circumlocution was a suave way of stating that he had done all that could be expected of a neighbor and benevolent friend, and that the ordinary relation of broker and customer ought now be established.
Unleavened Bread Robert Grant 1896
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I was a rich heiress -- I had, I believe, a hundred thousand pounds, or more, and twice as many caprices: I was handsome and witty -- or, to speak with that kind of circumlocution which is called humility, the world, the partial world, thought me a beauty and a bel-esprit.
Tales and Novels — Volume 03 Maria Edgeworth 1808
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I was a rich heiress – I had, I believe, a hundred thousand pounds, or more, and twice as many caprices: I was handsome and witty – or, to speak with that kind of circumlocution which is called humility, the world, the partial world, thought me a beauty and a bel-esprit.
Belinda 1801
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The present shiftiness, circumlocution and evasion is doing the party nothing but harm.
Archive 2009-09-06 2009
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All along she has been, notwithstanding the weaselly circumlocution 'cleared by the Commons Authorities', effectively looting the public purse to maintain her family home.
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The present shiftiness, circumlocution and evasion is doing the party nothing but harm.
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“Partial” birth and post-birth abortions are, de facto, equivalent to infanticide, to suggest otherwise or to elide that fact via circumlocution or other semantic finessing is precisely that, evasion.
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Some words get translated using circumlocution: a scanner (or scanner in Italian), as in a flatbed scanner, is an apparatus opticus et electronicus ad legendam imaginem: an optical and electronic device for reading images.
The Vatican’s Dictionary of Recent Latinity « The Half-Baked Maker 2010
oroboros commented on the word circumlocution
Euphemism is a kind of cousin-word, it strikes me...
April 13, 2007
geekmum commented on the word circumlocution
Circumlocution is one of my favorite words because... well... I love words. Why use one lonely word when you can have a word party? While the rest of the world casts a frown on redundancy, I shall instead celebrate it. The more the merrier, I say. (And I believe I might be in good company here.)
January 1, 2008
mialuthien commented on the word circumlocution
See periphrasis.
July 23, 2008
super-logos commented on the word circumlocution
It's classic beating around the bush. Geekmum, it one of my forever and ever faves.
August 9, 2008
dewiclark29 commented on the word circumlocution
this is befitting for political debates.
a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
October 10, 2008
foxyconcordgrape commented on the word circumlocution
the definition of this word is about the word itself, "an expressive style that uses excessive or empty words"
November 14, 2008
soden commented on the word circumlocution
From Richard Dawkin's recent article about evolution: "Yet the philosophy that imposes such scruples on science has no basis for absolving everyday facts from the same circumlocution."
February 18, 2009
oreboredo commented on the word circumlocution
It appears described- graphically, and sarcastically- as an indispensable part of the British government bureaucracy in Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit, Ch.X,"Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art of perceiving- HOW NOT TO DO IT."
June 30, 2009