indirectness

noun

as in impenetrability

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of indirectness More often, though, the indirectness and the anonymity of digital exchanges have sabotaged understanding. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indirectness
  1. impenetrability
  2. incomprehensibility
  3. circuity
  4. vagueness
  5. uncertainty
  6. profoundness
  7. complexity
Noun
  • What The Dark Wizard does differently is grapple with Potter’s impenetrability without being able to resolve it, and consider how that indecision might change our perceptions of his life and his May 2015 death while BASE jumping in Yosemite.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026
  • Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Definition of impenetrability
Noun
  • This was only the start of the incomprehensibility of this segment.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
  • This incomprehensibility was in no small part due to the way Turing had incorporated the conventions of the tape reader into the system software.
    — Alan Turing, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Oct. 2017
Definition of incomprehensibility
Noun
  • Duco negates the need for any human intervention by leveraging a hanging robotic system that automatically sketches multi-layered circuity to enable novel large-scale interfaces.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Oct. 2021
  • Mazzone hopes that studying the neural circuity for coughing will eventually lead to new therapies.
    — Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2012
Definition of circuity
Noun
  • Declare the state's rules void for vagueness under the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But that sort of vagueness is hardly unusual for a campaign, and Platner provided enough detail to communicate the overall shape of his program.
    — Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of vagueness
Noun
  • The popular corn maze and sunflower gardens flooded, adding uncertainty to whether the former will be ready as usual for Conner Prairie's high-profile fall festivals.
    — John Tufts, IndyStar, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Northwestern University economist Chuck Manski studies decision-making amid uncertainty.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertainty
Noun
  • As a result of that, there’s a profoundness to their relationship.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 20 July 2026
  • For Twitty, the book’s profoundness resides between the lines.
    — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Definition of profoundness
Noun
  • As families grow and increase in complexity over time, different members often also have varying objectives around liquidity.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In practical terms, the study suggests a preference for agentic AI to simplify drudge work and logistics, such as narrowing choices or suggesting better options, rather than taking full control of emotionally loaded or high-complexity decisions.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of complexity

Browse Nearby Words

indirectly
indirectness
indiscernible
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Cite this Entry

“Indirectness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indirectness. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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