circuitous

  • 1Circuitous — Cir*cu i*tous, a. [LL. circuitosus.] Going round in a circuit; roundabout; indirect; as, a circuitous road; a circuitous manner of accomplishing an end. {Cir*cu i*tous*ly}, adv. {Cir*cu i*tous*ness}, n. Syn: Tortuous; winding; sinuous; serpentine …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2circuitous — I adjective ambagious, anfractuous, anguilliform, anguine, circumfluent, circumambulating, circumfluous, circumlocutory, complicated, contorted, convoluted, convolution, crooked, curved, deviating, deviatory, devious, digressive, discursive, eel… …

    Law dictionary

  • 3circuitous — (adj.) 1660s, from M.L. circuitous full of roundabout ways, from L. circuitus a going round (see CIRCUIT (Cf. circuit)). Related: Circuitously …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4circuitous — roundabout, *indirect Analogous words: *winding, serpentine, sinuous, tortuous, flexuous Antonyms: straight …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 5circuitous — [adj] going around, indirect back road*, by way of, circular, collateral, complicated, devious, labyrinthine, long way*, long way around*, meandering, oblique, rambling, roundabout, tortuous, winding around; concepts 544,581 Ant. direct, in line …

    New thesaurus

  • 6circuitous — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ (of a route) longer than the most direct way. DERIVATIVES circuitously adverb circuitousness noun …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7circuitous — [sər kyo͞o′ət əs] adj. [ML circuitosus < L circuitus: see CIRCUIT] roundabout; indirect; devious circuitously adv. circuitousness n …

    English World dictionary

  • 8circuitous — [[t]sə(r)kju͟ːɪtəs[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n A circuitous route is long and complicated rather than simple and direct. [FORMAL] They were taken on a circuitous route, from mainland China through Hong Kong to Europe and then to Panama... Stuart… …

    English dictionary

  • 9circuitous — adjective Etymology: perhaps from Medieval Latin circuitosus, from Latin circuitus Date: 1664 1. having a circular or winding course < a circuitous route > 2. not being forthright or direct in language or action < a …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 10circuitous — circuitously, adv. circuitousness, n. /seuhr kyooh i teuhs/, adj. roundabout; not direct: a circuitous route; a circuitous argument. [1655 65; < ML circuitosus, equiv. to circuit(us) CIRCUIT + osus OUS] Syn. circular, winding, indirect,&#8230; …

    Universalium

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