Ambages

//ˈam.bɪ.d͡ʒɪz// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Indirect or roundabout ways of talking; circumlocution. archaic, plural, plural-only

    "Thus from her cell Cumæan Sibyl sings / Ambiguous ambages, the cloyster rings / With the shrill sound thereof, in most dark strains."

  2. 2
    (archaic) roundabout or mysterious ways of action wordnet
  3. 3
    Indirect or roundabout routes or directions. archaic, plural, plural-only

    "Paris put fear into him, a city of monstrous size to which London was but a market town. Its ambages of streets bewildered."

Synonyms

All synonyms
anfractuositybypasscircuitcircuitousnesscircumambagescircumbendibus

Example

More examples

"Thus from her cell Cumæan Sibyl sings / Ambiguous ambages, the cloyster rings / With the shrill sound thereof, in most dark strains."

Etymology

From Middle English ambages, from Old French ambages (modern French ambages), from Latin ambāges, from ambi- + agere (“to drive”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.