Better word for rambling

  • circuitous
  • disjointed
  • incoherent
  • long-winded
  • confused
  • diffuse
  • desultory
  • digressive
  • discursive
  • incongruous
  • irregular
  • periphrastic
  • prolix
  • covering
  • scattered
  • spreading
  • straggling
  • strewn
  • trailing
  • at length
  • gangling
  • here and there
  • irregular
  • random
  • unplanned

On this page you’ll find 84 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to rambling, such as: circuitous, disjointed, incoherent, long-winded, confused, and diffuse.

  • connected
  • direct
  • straight
  • straightforward

Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

TRY USING rambling

See how your sentence looks with different synonyms.

How to use rambling in a sentence

Cummings sat down across from Pitcher’s desk, but before Pitcher could say anything, Cummings dove into a rambling saga centered in Valdez, Alaska, where he’d lived for more than two decades.

THE FINAL DESCENT OF DEAN CUMMINGSDEVON O’NEILFEBRUARY 22, 2021OUTSIDE ONLINE

Black Hoof and his braves had a great fear of the girl when she began her rambling talk.

A VIRGINIA SCOUTHUGH PENDEXTER

The thoughts chased one another round my brain and back again, all running into one another in their rambling.

MY WONDERFUL VISITCHARLIE CHAPLIN

SYNONYM OF THE DAY

OCTOBER 26, 1985

WORDS RELATED TO RAMBLING

  • ambagious
  • back road
  • by way of
  • circular
  • collateral
  • complicated
  • devious
  • labyrinthine
  • long way
  • long way around
  • meandering
  • oblique
  • rambling
  • roundabout
  • tortuous
  • winding around
  • Daedalean
  • Gordian
  • abstruse
  • bewildering
  • byzantine
  • circuitous
  • complicated
  • confused
  • convoluted
  • crabbed
  • cryptic
  • discursive
  • disordered
  • disturbing
  • enigmatic
  • entangled
  • excursive
  • hidden
  • impenetrable
  • inscrutable
  • interwoven
  • intricate
  • involved
  • jumbled
  • knotted
  • knotty
  • labyrinthine
  • mazy
  • meandering
  • mingled
  • mixed
  • muddled
  • obscure
  • paradoxical
  • perplexing
  • puzzling
  • rambling
  • recondite
  • round-about
  • sinuous
  • snarled
  • sophisticated
  • tangled
  • tortuous
  • undecipherable
  • unfathomable
  • winding
  • agee
  • anfractuous
  • angular
  • asymmetric
  • awry
  • bowed
  • catawampus
  • circuitous
  • cockeyed
  • contorted
  • crippled
  • curved
  • curving
  • deformed
  • deviating
  • devious
  • disfigured
  • distorted
  • errant
  • gnarled
  • hooked
  • incurving
  • indirect
  • irregular
  • kinky
  • knurly
  • lopsided
  • meandering
  • misshapen
  • not straight
  • oblique
  • out of shape
  • rambling
  • roundabout
  • screwy
  • serpentine
  • sinuous
  • skewed
  • slanted
  • snaky
  • spiral
  • tilted
  • topsy-turvy
  • tortile
  • tortuous
  • twisted
  • twisting
  • uneven
  • warped
  • winding
  • zigzag
  • aberrant
  • bewildered
  • confused
  • crazed
  • crazy
  • demented
  • deranged
  • deviant
  • deviate
  • disarranged
  • disordered
  • distracted
  • disturbed
  • flipped
  • flipped-out
  • hallucinatory
  • incoherent
  • insane
  • irrational
  • lightheaded
  • lunatic
  • mad
  • maniac
  • maniacal
  • manic
  • off one’s head
  • out of one’s head
  • out of one’s skull
  • rambling
  • raving
  • unhinged
  • unreasonable
  • unsettled
  • wandering
  • aberration
  • branching off
  • branching out
  • change
  • declination
  • deflection
  • difference
  • digression
  • divergence
  • diversion
  • in thing
  • innovation
  • last word
  • latest thing
  • new wrinkle
  • novelty
  • rambling
  • shift
  • straying
  • turning
  • variance
  • variation
  • veering
  • wandering
  • aimless
  • chance
  • chaotic
  • deviating
  • erratic
  • haphazard
  • orderless
  • rambling
  • unmethodical
  • unstable
  • unsystematic
  • without purpose

Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Synonyms of rambling

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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


Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

as in wordy

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


Antonyms & Near Antonyms

present participle of ramble

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

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

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

Thesaurus Entries Near rambling

Cite this Entry

“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rambling. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

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Princeton’s WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

  1. sprawling, straggling, rambling, stragglyadjective

    spreading out in different directions

    «sprawling handwriting»; «straggling branches»; «straggly hair»

    Synonyms:
    wandering(a), sprawling, winding, straggly, discursive, excursive, digressive, meandering(a), straggling

    Antonyms:
    direct, tidy

  2. digressive, discursive, excursive, ramblingadjective

    (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects

    «amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women’s fashions among other things»; «a rambling discursive book»; «his excursive remarks»; «a rambling speech about this and that»

    Synonyms:
    wandering(a), sprawling, winding, straggly, discursive, excursive, digressive, meandering(a), dianoetic, tangential, straggling

    Antonyms:
    direct, tidy

  3. meandering(a), rambling, wandering(a), windingadjective

    of a path e.g.

    «meandering streams»; «rambling forest paths»; «the river followed its wandering course»; «a winding country road»

    Antonyms:
    tidy, direct

How to pronounce rambling?

How to say rambling in sign language?

How to use rambling in a sentence?

  1. Barry Drexler:

    It’s not just what you say, but how you say it, as soon as you start rambling and get nervous, you are giving it life and bringing attention to it.

  2. Dick Durbin:

    President Trumps recorded conversation with Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger is more than a pathetic, rambling, delusional rant, his disgraceful effort to intimidate an elected official into deliberately changing and misrepresenting the legally confirmed vote totals in his state strikes at the heart of our democracy and merits nothing less than a criminal investigation.

  3. Billy Madison:

    Principal Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

  4. Adam Scaife:

    There is nothing worse than a long, rambling text from a collaborator who uses a whole page to say what can be written in a few lines.”

  5. Muharrem Ince:

    In recent days, as Tarzan has faced trouble, he’s been rambling, we know he doesn’t have a university diploma, but I’m wondering if he even has a middle school one.


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Are we missing a good synonym for rambling?

Need another word that means the same as “rambling”? Find 20 synonyms and 30 related words for “rambling” in this overview.

Table Of Contents:

  • Rambling as an Adjective
  • Definitions of «Rambling» as an adjective
  • Synonyms of «Rambling» as an adjective (20 Words)
  • Usage Examples of «Rambling» as an adjective
  • Associations of «Rambling» (30 Words)

The synonyms of “Rambling” are: sprawling, straggling, straggly, meandering, wandering, winding, digressive, discursive, excursive, long-winded, garrulous, verbose, wordy, prolix, creeping, vining, prostrate, twisting, twisty, labyrinthine

Rambling as an Adjective

Definitions of «Rambling» as an adjective

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

  • Spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly.
  • (of a plant) putting out long shoots and growing over walls or other plants.
  • (of writing or speech) lengthy and confused or inconsequential.
  • Of a path e.g.
  • Spreading out in different directions.
  • (of a building or path) spreading or winding irregularly in various directions.
  • (of a person) travelling from place to place; wandering.
  • Tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
  • (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.

Synonyms of «Rambling» as an adjective (20 Words)

creeping (of a negative characteristic or fact) occurring or developing gradually and almost imperceptibly.
Creeping ivy can do damage to the wall surface.
digressive Characterized by digression; tending to depart from the subject.
A digressive allusion to the day of the week.
discursive (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
The attempt to transform utterances from one discursive context to another.
excursive (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
His excursive remarks.
garrulous Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
A garrulous cab driver.
labyrinthine Resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity.
Labyrinthine plots and counterplots.
long-winded Using or containing too many words.
meandering Proceeding in a convoluted or undirected fashion.
A brilliant sample of meandering discourse.
prolix Tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length.
A prolix lecturer telling you more than you want to know.
prostrate Lying stretched out on the ground with one’s face downwards.
His wife was prostrate with shock.
sprawling Spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly.
The sprawling suburbs.
straggling Spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly.
The straggling crowd of refugees.
straggly Growing or spreading sparsely or irregularly.
Straggly hair.
twisting Marked by repeated turns and bends.
twisty Marked by repeated turns and bends.
Had to steer the car down a twisty track.
verbose Using or expressed in more words than are needed.
Much academic language is obscure and verbose.
vining (of a plant) growing as a vine with climbing or trailing woody stems.
wandering Of a path e.g.
His life followed a wandering course.
winding Following a twisting or spiral course.
Winding roads are full of surprises.
wordy Using or expressed in rather too many words.
Newspapers of the day printed long wordy editorials.

Usage Examples of «Rambling» as an adjective

  • A rambling speech about this and that.
  • A rambling six-hour speech.
  • Scott’s letter was long and rambling.
  • Rambling roses.
  • A rambling man.
  • A rambling discursive book.
  • Rambling forest paths.
  • A big old rambling house.

Associations of «Rambling» (30 Words)

aimlessly Without purpose or direction.
We wandered aimlessly round Venice.
away Out of the way especially away from one s thoughts.
In front of them the land fell away to the river.
derail Run off or leave the rails.
The train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks.
derailment The action of a train or tram leaving its tracks accidentally.
An investigation into the derailment of a freight train.
deviate A person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior.
The whole affair offers revealing insights into attitudes towards sexual deviates.
digress Lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking.
I have digressed a little from my original plan.
digressive Tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
Amusingly digressive with satirical thrusts at women s fashions among other things.
discursive Proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition.
The attempt to transform utterances from one discursive context to another.
dislodge Knock or force out of position.
The hoofs of their horses dislodged loose stones.
drift A large mass of material that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents.
The sailboat was adrift on the open sea.
excursive Tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
His excursive remarks.
extraction The action of taking out something (especially using effort or force.
Mineral extraction.
gad A sharp prod fixed to a rider’s heel and used to urge a horse onward.
He had heard that I was gadding about with an airline stewardess.
gallivant Wander aimlessly in search of pleasure.
She quit her job to go gallivanting around the globe.
indirect Avoiding direct mention or exposition of a subject.
Full employment would have an indirect effect on wage levels.
irrelevant Not connected with or relevant to something.
An irrelevant comment.
meander To move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course.
A river that meandered gently through a meadow.
meandering Of a path e.g.
A brilliant sample of meandering discourse.
nomadic Living the life of a nomad; wandering.
Nomadic herdsmen.
ramble Talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.
Roses climbed rambled hung over walls.
resonate Be received or understood.
The sound resonates well in this theater.
roam Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment.
He let his eyes roam her face.
scrappy Full of fighting spirit.
Scrappy lecture notes piled up unread.
sidetrack A well or borehole which runs partly to one side of the original line of drilling.
The horse took a sidetrack which led uphill.
sinuous Lithe and supple.
The sinuous grace of a cat.
stray An animal that has strayed especially a domestic animal.
Men who stray are seen as more exciting and desirable.
twist To move in a twisting or contorted motion especially when struggling.
Lets do the twist.
wander An act or instance of wandering.
Please don t wander off again.
wandering Travelling about without any clear destination.
Wandering tribes.
winding The act of winding or twisting.
A winding country road.

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Below you can find synonyms for rambling, grouped by different word groups. If there are any antonyms for the word rambling in our database they are also shown alongside the synonyms.


Example sentences for rambling

Below you can find example sentences for the word rambling, meaning that the sentences below show you how to use the word rambling in a sentence. The sentences are collected from Wikipedia, at the end of each sentence is a link to the article from which the sentence stems.

  1. He followed O’Connell, whom he sharply criticised for the latter’s «long, rambling, jumbling, speech».  
  2. A rambling text like Planescape Torment bounces when you try and nail it down, it resists totalisation.  
  3. In contrast to the 1899-1900 work, James’s 1914-1915 contributions to the novel are considered rambling and poorly-structured.  
  4. Some of the poorest work consisted of Pound’s rambling editorials on Confucianism or in praise of Lenin, according to biographer J.  
  5. His colourful memoir Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber (1740) describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling style.  

More information about rambling

Other ways to learn more about the meaning of the word rambling is to search for certain keywords related to the word. For example one of these is to search for the spelling of the word rambling. Another thing to do is to search for the definition of the word rambling in order to learn more about the meaning. One last tip is to utilize antonyms (opposites) to rambling, in order to get more in-depth information.

Figures about rambling

Below you can find some technical information about the word rambling.

  • Number of characters: 8
  • Number of consonants: 6
  • Number of vowels: 2

What are synonyms and antonyms?

A synonym for a word is plain and simple another word that can be used to replace the original word, digressive is as an example a synonym to rambling. Keep in mind though that it might not always be so simple as to just replace a word using its synonym, one should always keep in mind the text’s nuance. Antonyms on the other hand are opposite words, meaning words that are the complete opposite of the original word.

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