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The adjective for that way of talking or writing: using too many words when a direct sentence would do. A circumlocutory answer, a circumlocutory style, a circumlocutory politician. It describes the speech or the person in that moment; it is not itself the name of the habit (that noun is circumlocution). Same social feel as the noun — formal, a little school-essay, not what you say to a friend. You would tell a friend “You’re talking in circles,” not “That was circumlocutory.” Though actually, when someone is being carefully polite, the extra words are not always a fault; the word still mostly arrives as a complaint that the speaker will not land.
迂迴的、拐彎抹角的
組成circumlocution + -ory (makes an adjective: “of that kind”). Compare Medieval Latin circumlocūtōrius, from Classical Latin circumlocūtiō.
同家族的字
- circumlocutionthe noun this adjective comes from
- locutionsame locution “talk” piece
原始詞典資料1 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
circumlocutoryadj/sɜː.kəm.ləʊˈkjuː.tə.ɹi/
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Characterised by circumlocution; overly wordy
- 1727, Jonathan Swift (attributed), Martinus Scriblerus, or the Art of Sinking In Poetry Periphrase is another great aid to prolixity; being a diffused circumlocutory manner of expressing a known idea, which should be so mysteriously couched, as to give the reader the pleasure of guessing what it is, that the author can possibly mean; and a strange surprise, when he finds it.
- Rachel's talks with the vicar were frequent; and poor little Mrs. William Wylder, who knew not the reason of his visits, fell slowly, and to the good man's entire bewilderment, into a chronic jealousy. It expressed itself enigmatically; it was circumlocutory, sad, and mysterious.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。