INDIRECT: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for INDIRECT?

Need another word that means the same as “indirect”? Find 28 synonyms and 30 related words for “indirect” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Indirect” are: collateral, incidental, accidental, unintended, secondary, subordinate, ancillary, concomitant, accompanying, contingent, resulting, resultant, consequential, derived, derivative, roundabout, circuitous, deviant, divergent, wandering, meandering, serpentine, winding, curving, tortuous, zigzag, oblique, inexplicit

Indirect as an Adjective

Definitions of "Indirect" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “indirect” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• (of taxation) levied on goods and services rather than income or profits.
• (of lighting) from a concealed source and diffusely reflected.
• Not as a direct effect or consequence.
• Having intervening factors or persons or influences.
• (of costs) deriving from overhead charges or subsidiary work.
• Not done directly; conducted through intermediaries.
• (of a route) not straight; not following the shortest way.
• Extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action.
• Not directly caused by or resulting from something.
• Not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination.
• Descended from a common ancestor but through different lines.
• Avoiding direct mention or exposition of a subject.
• Denoting a free kick from which a goal may not be scored directly.

Synonyms of "Indirect" as an adjective (28 Words)

accidental	Happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally. The character s motives remain accidental to the plot.
accompanying	Following or accompanying as a consequence. The accompanying documentation.
ancillary	Furnishing added support. Paragraph 19 was merely ancillary to paragraph 16.
circuitous	Deviating from a straight course. The canal followed a circuitous route.
collateral	Accompany, concomitant. Collateral evidence.
concomitant	Occurring with or following as a consequence. Concomitant with his obsession with dirt was a desire for order.
consequential	Following as a result or effect. A loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds.
contingent	Possible but not certain to occur. That men are living creatures is a contingent fact.
curving	Having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend.
derivative	Resulting from or employing derivation. A derivative process.
derived	Formed or developed from something else; not original. The belief that classes and organizations are secondary and derived.
deviant	Homosexual (typically used of a man). Deviant ideas.
divergent	(of thought) using a variety of premises, especially unfamiliar premises, as bases for inference, and avoiding common limiting assumptions in making deductions. A divergent opinion.
incidental	Not of prime or central importance. Labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion.
inexplicit	Not definitely or clearly expressed or explained. Inexplicit declarations.
meandering	Of a path e.g. Meandering streams.
oblique	(especially of a muscle) neither parallel nor perpendicular to the long axis of a body or limb. Acute and obtuse angles are oblique angles.
resultant	Occurring or produced as a result of something. Restructuring and the resultant cost savings.
resulting	Occurring or following as the consequence of something. Talk of a general election and the resulting political uncertainty.
roundabout	Not saying what is meant clearly and directly; circumlocutory. A roundabout paragraph.
secondary	(chiefly of amines) derived from ammonia by replacement of two hydrogen atoms by organic groups. A secondary issue.
serpentine	Of or like a serpent or snake. Serpentine country lanes.
subordinate	Lower in rank or position. In adventure stories character must be subordinate to action.
tortuous	Full of twists and turns. A tortuous road up the mountain.
unintended	Not planned or meant. The unintended consequences of people s actions.
wandering	Travelling aimlessly from place to place; itinerant. Wandering tribes.
winding	Of a path e.g. Winding roads are full of surprises.
zigzag	Having the form of a zigzag veering alternately to right and left. When chased by a predator some animals take a zigzag course.

Usage Examples of "Indirect" as an adjective

• Making indirect but legitimate inquiries.
• Sometimes taking an indirect path saves time.
• Hidden or indirect costs involved in training.
• You must take an indirect course in sailing.
• Full employment would have an indirect effect on wage levels.
• An indirect attack on the Archbishop.
• Fittings were installed to give a subdued, indirect light in the nave.
• Known as a shady indirect fellow.
• Local government under the indirect control of the British.
• Indirect benefits.
• An indirect descendant of the Stuarts.
• An indirect advantage.
• Reflection from the ceiling provided a soft indirect light.
• An indirect cause.
• Though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest.
• Indirect evidence.
• Doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind.
• An indirect insult.
• He took a careful, indirect route home from his dockside rendezvous.

Associations of "Indirect" (30 Words)

away	Out of the way especially away from one s thoughts. He put away the pistol.
backhanded	(of racket strokes) made across the body with back of hand facing direction of stroke. A backhanded and dishonest way of reaching his goal.
circuitous	Marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct. The explanation was circuitous and puzzling.
circumlocutory	Using many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive; long-winded. Had a preference for circumlocutious or circumlocutory rather than forthright expression.
cowardly	In a way which shows a lack of courage. A cowardly attack on a helpless victim.
devious	Deviating from a straight course. A devious character.
digress	Lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking. She always digresses when telling a story.
digressive	(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects. A digressive allusion to the day of the week.
discursive	(of a style of speech or writing) fluent and expansive. The attempt to transform utterances from one discursive context to another.
dislodge	Remove or force out from a position. The hoofs of their horses dislodged loose stones.
distract	Prevent (someone) from concentrating on something. Horror and doubt distract His troubl d thoughts.
excursive	Tending to deviate from a course or activity; digressive. His excursive remarks.
extraction	Properties attributable to your ancestry. A worker of Polish extraction.
instead	In place of, or as an alternative to. Used English terms instead of Latin ones.
irrelevant	Not connected with or relevant to something. Theory can sometimes be hastily dismissed as irrelevant to the classroom.
meandering	Convoluted or undirected thought or language. A brilliant sample of meandering discourse.
rambling	(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects. A rambling club.
roam	(of a person’s eyes or hands) pass lightly over something without stopping. Her eyes roamed over the chattering women.
rotary	A rotary machine engine or device. A rotary mower.
roundabout	A revolving machine with model horses or cars on which people ride for amusement; a merry-go-round. Hear in a roundabout way that her ex husband was marrying her best friend.
scrappy	Consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts. He had a scrappy New York temperament.
secondhand	Derived from what is primary or original; not firsthand. Most of our knowledge is secondhand.
serpentine	A kind of cannon, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. For young horses suppleness and control were built with serpentines.
sidetrack	A minor path or track. A sidetrack to the original discovery well.
substitute	Act or serve as a substitute. A sheriff substitute.
tangential	Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic. A tangential line.
tortuous	Not straightforward. A tortuous road up the mountain.
wandering	Having no fixed course. Wandering tribes.
wind	Wind instruments or specifically woodwind instruments forming a band or a section of an orchestra. The wind howled about the building.
winding	The act of winding or twisting. The windings of the stream.