Categories: GeneralSynonyms

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)

accidentalHappening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally.
The character s motives remain accidental to the plot.
accompanyingFollowing or accompanying as a consequence.
The accompanying documentation.
ancillaryFurnishing added support.
Paragraph 19 was merely ancillary to paragraph 16.
circuitousDeviating from a straight course.
The canal followed a circuitous route.
collateralAccompany, concomitant.
Collateral evidence.
concomitantOccurring with or following as a consequence.
Concomitant with his obsession with dirt was a desire for order.
consequentialFollowing as a result or effect.
A loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds.
contingentPossible but not certain to occur.
That men are living creatures is a contingent fact.
curvingHaving or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend.
derivativeResulting from or employing derivation.
A derivative process.
derivedFormed or developed from something else; not original.
The belief that classes and organizations are secondary and derived.
deviantHomosexual (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.
incidentalNot of prime or central importance.
Labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion.
inexplicitNot definitely or clearly expressed or explained.
Inexplicit declarations.
meanderingOf 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.
resultantOccurring or produced as a result of something.
Restructuring and the resultant cost savings.
resultingOccurring or following as the consequence of something.
Talk of a general election and the resulting political uncertainty.
roundaboutNot 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.
serpentineOf or like a serpent or snake.
Serpentine country lanes.
subordinateLower in rank or position.
In adventure stories character must be subordinate to action.
tortuousFull of twists and turns.
A tortuous road up the mountain.
unintendedNot planned or meant.
The unintended consequences of people s actions.
wanderingTravelling aimlessly from place to place; itinerant.
Wandering tribes.
windingOf a path e.g.
Winding roads are full of surprises.
zigzagHaving 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)

awayOut 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.
circuitousMarked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct.
The explanation was circuitous and puzzling.
circumlocutoryUsing 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.
cowardlyIn a way which shows a lack of courage.
A cowardly attack on a helpless victim.
deviousDeviating from a straight course.
A devious character.
digressLose 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.
dislodgeRemove or force out from a position.
The hoofs of their horses dislodged loose stones.
distractPrevent (someone) from concentrating on something.
Horror and doubt distract His troubl d thoughts.
excursiveTending to deviate from a course or activity; digressive.
His excursive remarks.
extractionProperties attributable to your ancestry.
A worker of Polish extraction.
insteadIn place of, or as an alternative to.
Used English terms instead of Latin ones.
irrelevantNot connected with or relevant to something.
Theory can sometimes be hastily dismissed as irrelevant to the classroom.
meanderingConvoluted 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.
rotaryA rotary machine engine or device.
A rotary mower.
roundaboutA 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.
scrappyConsisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts.
He had a scrappy New York temperament.
secondhandDerived from what is primary or original; not firsthand.
Most of our knowledge is secondhand.
serpentineA kind of cannon, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
For young horses suppleness and control were built with serpentines.
sidetrackA minor path or track.
A sidetrack to the original discovery well.
substituteAct or serve as a substitute.
A sheriff substitute.
tangentialDiverging from a previous course or line; erratic.
A tangential line.
tortuousNot straightforward.
A tortuous road up the mountain.
wanderingHaving no fixed course.
Wandering tribes.
windWind instruments or specifically woodwind instruments forming a band or a section of an orchestra.
The wind howled about the building.
windingThe act of winding or twisting.
The windings of the stream.
Alexei

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