as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
his long-winded explanation could have been boiled down to two sentences
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Recent Examples of long-winded
Most were held at church, which meant the price of fried fish was often sitting through an extended sermon led by a long-winded pastor.
—
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
That long-winded name is shortened to DDR, and the following number indicates the transfer rate (divided by 100).
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The podcast aesthetic—casual, long-winded, sometimes profane—directly opposes, perhaps not coincidentally, the sterility and bizarre right-this-minute quality of cable news, on which everything seems incomplete and therefore manipulative, and yet somehow endless.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that with seven games to go, European football is very much on for David Moyes’ side — that alone shows the progression made over the past year.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Jake heard the news in the break room at work and almost immediately began a long-winded email to Tom.
—Olivia Krupp, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The only certainty in these films is that the self-righteous Optimus Prime will always preach some long-winded, sleep-inducing monologue at the end of the movie before a radio-friendly Linkin Park or Imagine Dragons song blares over the credits.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
But, by heck, Tolkien does love a long-winded description.
—Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
The film features numerous long-winded monologues, including one delivered by Tracy that astounded Shatner on set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
That long-winded name is shortened to DDR, and the following number indicates the transfer rate (divided by 100).
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The podcast aesthetic—casual, long-winded, sometimes profane—directly opposes, perhaps not coincidentally, the sterility and bizarre right-this-minute quality of cable news, on which everything seems incomplete and therefore manipulative, and yet somehow endless.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that with seven games to go, European football is very much on for David Moyes’ side — that alone shows the progression made over the past year.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Jake heard the news in the break room at work and almost immediately began a long-winded email to Tom.
—Olivia Krupp, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
The only certainty in these films is that the self-righteous Optimus Prime will always preach some long-winded, sleep-inducing monologue at the end of the movie before a radio-friendly Linkin Park or Imagine Dragons song blares over the credits.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
But, by heck, Tolkien does love a long-winded description.
—Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
The film features numerous long-winded monologues, including one delivered by Tracy that astounded Shatner on set.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for long-winded
rambling
Adjective
-
Mardi is a rambling story, and reviewers were not kind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The rambling, low-slung building, containing 200 rooms, including 36 suites, is easy to get lost in.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Long-winded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/long-winded. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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