1
as in wandering
passing from one topic to another
I listened patiently to Mrs. Parsifal's rambling reminiscences, though I had no idea who "Dorothy" and "the stepson" were
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in talkative
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
the new minister gives rambling sermons that, if they have a point, are lost on the congregation, which invariably falls asleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in prolixity
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in rattling
to talk at length without sticking to a topic or getting to a point
the teenagers sat around the pizza parlor, rambling on about dating, homework, movies, and the local football team
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in roaming
to move about from place to place aimlessly
by tirelessly rambling around San Francisco for a week we probably saw more of it than many residents ever have
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in strolling
to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure
we're planning to ramble all over the highland moors when we're in Dartmoor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rambling
Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
His statement came a day after the release of the Netflix series, which takes viewers back to the morning after Christmas 28 years ago, when JonBenét’s mother called 911 to report finding a rambling ransom note and her daughter missing.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
There is more than 178 feet of beach and ocean frontage, which can be accessed via a rambling wooden staircase.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Some, of course, will find this style of writing off-putting and too rambling or the prose verging on purple, the narrative perhaps not story-driven enough.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Trump, who has faced ridicule from Democrats and other critics for his rambling rallies, accused Micklethwait of jumping back and forth between topics.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024
The Harris campaign, her allies, and Trump’s enemies have sought to capitalize on the age concerns by incessantly highlighting Trump’s rambling and bizarre tangents in his speeches, factual errors and nonsensical answers to questions from reporters and voters.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
The big picture: Trump took Harris' bait throughout the evening, often making rambling statements or unleashing personal attacks that are unlikely to appeal to moderate voters.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024
Harris came in trying to rattle and bait Trump, and often succeeded, leading to defensive, angry and rambling responses as the vice president had the upper hand throughout much of the contest.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Adjective
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
His statement came a day after the release of the Netflix series, which takes viewers back to the morning after Christmas 28 years ago, when JonBenét’s mother called 911 to report finding a rambling ransom note and her daughter missing.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
There is more than 178 feet of beach and ocean frontage, which can be accessed via a rambling wooden staircase.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Some, of course, will find this style of writing off-putting and too rambling or the prose verging on purple, the narrative perhaps not story-driven enough.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Trump, who has faced ridicule from Democrats and other critics for his rambling rallies, accused Micklethwait of jumping back and forth between topics.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024
The Harris campaign, her allies, and Trump’s enemies have sought to capitalize on the age concerns by incessantly highlighting Trump’s rambling and bizarre tangents in his speeches, factual errors and nonsensical answers to questions from reporters and voters.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
The big picture: Trump took Harris' bait throughout the evening, often making rambling statements or unleashing personal attacks that are unlikely to appeal to moderate voters.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024
Harris came in trying to rattle and bait Trump, and often succeeded, leading to defensive, angry and rambling responses as the vice president had the upper hand throughout much of the contest.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rambling
Adjective
-
As the wandering Matthew, Rankin lets contrasting depictions of tentative homecoming and wondrous discovery play out on his face.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2025
-
But much as the food is worth is worth your focus, so is the bar, set in a separate building out back that’s surrounded by a wandering Southern garden.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In her confusion about so much in her life, the usually talkative Suzy simply stops speaking.—
Chad Jones,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Adrien is very engaged in the moment and is able to switch over and be sociable and talkative.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
It’s been almost a quarter-century since Renée Zellweger first stepped into the shoes of the wine-guzzling, smoking, babbling, pratfall-prone and terminally awkward title character in Bridget Jones’s Diary.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
-
Today, her daughter, Dana, is growing up like any other Swiss suburban child, in Basel now, splashing around in toddler swim classes and speaking to her mother in a babbling mix of English and Ukrainian.—
Ann Scott Tyson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
8 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
According to Smithsonian, the institute’s idyllic backdrop, with open fields where patients could imagine animals roaming free, helped convince the doctor's dozens of patients that her practices were legit.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Between 2001 and 2004, there were so many shootings in Vancouver-area clubs that gang police started roaming through bars, throwing out anyone who looked like a drug dealer.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
These are exaggerated, and factually possible, scenarios.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Sophie Thatcher, among other guests, delivered gothic inspiration with their outfits, embracing current red carpet trends such as sheer dressing and exaggerated silhouettes.—
Renan Botelho,
WWD,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
They were supposed to begin indirect talks over the second phase last week, including negotiating an end to the war, the release of the remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
-
The president then threw some indirect shade at Intel, which also sources some of its chips from TSMC.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Vague, wandering, wordy speech habits, for example, force people to work harder to understand you.—
John Bowe, Contributor,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Ferrell just isn’t right for this part: The role is too stagy, too wordy for him, and his style of comedy is just too modern and deconstructionist to handle the Borscht Belt punning of Mel Brooks.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Anyway, political verbosity, as measured by State of the Union addresses, has risen during the twenty-first century.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
-
When that’s chucked in a blender with his own penchant for spiky-savvy verbosity, the results fizz and pop.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rambling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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