in·di·rect ( n d -r kt , -d -)adj.1. Diverging from a direct course; roundabout. 2. a. Not proceeding straight to the point or object. b. Not forthright and candid; devious. 3. Not directly planned for; secondary: indirect benefits. 4. Reporting the exact or approximate words of another with such changes as are necessary to bring the original statement into grammatical conformity with the sentence in which it is included: indirect discourse. 5. Logic Involving, relating to, or being the proof of a statement by the demonstration of the impossibility or absurdity of the statement's negation. 6. Sports Being a free kick in soccer by which a goal cannot be scored without the ball being touched by a second player.
in di·rect ly adv. in di·rect ness n. |
indirect Adjective
1. done or caused by someone or something else: indirect benefits
2. not going in a direct course or line: he took the indirect route home
3. not coming straight to the point: an indirect question
indirectly adv
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adj. | 1. | indirect - having intervening factors or persons or influences; "reflection from the ceiling provided a soft indirect light"; "indirect evidence"; "an indirect cause"mediate - acting through or dependent on an intervening agency; "the disease spread by mediate as well as direct contact" |
| 2. | indirect - not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination; "sometimes taking an indirect path saves time"; "you must take an indirect course in sailing"crooked - having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned; "crooked country roads"; "crooked teeth" direct - direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short; "a direct route"; "a direct flight"; "a direct hit" |
| 3. | indirect - descended from a common ancestor but through different lines; "cousins are collateral relatives"; "an indirect descendant of the Stuarts"related - connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage |
| 4. | indirect - extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action; "making indirect but legitimate inquiries"; "an indirect insult"; "doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind"; "though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest"; "known as a shady indirect fellow"direct - straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action; "a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach" |
| 5. | indirect - not as a direct effect or consequence; "indirect benefits"; "an indirect advantage"secondary - being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate; "the stone will be hauled to a secondary crusher"; "a secondary source"; "a secondary issue"; "secondary streams" |
indirect adjective 2.
circuitous,
winding,
roundabout,
curving,
wandering,
rambling,
deviant,
meandering,
tortuous,
zigzag,
long-drawn-out,
circumlocutory << OPPOSITE
direct
Translations