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
The 4½-hour ceremony varied between long-winded and succinct.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 June 2026
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
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for long-winded
rambling
Adjective
-
Blackened with volcanic rock and encircled by towering waves, the tumultuous scenery makes a vivid psychic landscape for So Help Me God, a rambling spell of ’70s-era soul and exuberant orchestral folk-pop that sweeps through the fog of heartbreak and the clarity of self-discovery.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
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Lady Banks’ rose (Rosa banksiae) is a large, rambling rose that can quickly grow up to 20 feet long.—
Daniel Scott,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Long-winded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/long-winded. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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