Basic Details
Word: Circuitous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Long and roundabout rather than direct; going the long way to reach a place or to make a point.
Synonyms: roundabout, indirect, winding, meandering
Antonyms: direct, straight
How to Spell Circuitous
Syllables: cir - cu - i - tous
Tricky part: The ui of circuit stays inside the word and is easy to drop: circutous. The sound changes too: circuit is SIR-kit, but circuitous is ser-KYOO-i-tus, so both the u and the i are heard.
Watch out for: circutous, circuitious, cercuitous
Memory tip: Start with circuit, a loop that goes round, then add -ous. A circuitous road loops round like a circuit.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The bus took a circuitous route through six villages before reaching Shimla.
Example 2: Grandpa's stories are circuitous, wandering through three other tales before the ending.
Example 3: To avoid the flooded underpass, we drove a circuitous way home.
Fun Fact
Circuit and circuitous both come from Latin circuitus, a going round, made from circum, around, and ire, to go.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word circuitous as used in the sentence:
The minister gave a circuitous reply that avoided the reporter's real question.
a) direct
b) rambling
c) evasive
d) indirect
Show answer
a) direct. A direct reply goes straight to the point, while evasive, rambling and indirect ones wander away from it.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
circuitious
a) u
b) i
c) t
d) o
Show answer
b) i. The word is circuit + ous; no i comes between the t and the ous.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Tired after the long climb, Arjun grumbled about the tuiicusroc path to the fort.
a) circuitry
b) circuits
c) curious
d) circuitous
Show answer
d) circuitous. Ten letters, with two u's and an o, are needed, and only circuitous uses them all.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A circuitous route is one that ____.
a) is very short
b) takes a long, indirect way
c) follows a train line
d) runs on electric power
Show answer
b) takes a long, indirect way
2. Someone who speaks in a circuitous way is ____.
a) slow to get to the point
b) easy to follow
c) very loud
d) always truthful
Show answer
a) slow to get to the point
