Circumlocution

Noun

 * 1) A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
 * 2) A roundabout expression. See also euphemism

Synonyms for Circumlocution
beat around the bush, periphrasis, redundance, verbiage, diffuseness, pleonasm, wordiness, periphrasis, verbosity, tediousness.

Antonyms for Circumlocution
conciseness, plainness, condensation, terseness, compactness, compression.

Derived terms

 * circumlocutionary
 * circumlocutional

Related terms

 * circumlocutory
 * See also locution

Thesaurus
ambages, anfractuosity, circling, circuition, circuitousness, circuitry, circularity, circulation, circumambages, circumambience, circumambiency, circumambulation, circumbendibus, circumflexion, circummigration, circumnavigation, circumvolution, convolution, crinkle, crinkling, deviance, deviancy, deviation, deviousness, digression, excursion, excursus, flexuosity, flexuousness, gyre, gyring, indirection, intorsion, involution, meander, meandering, obliqueness, orbit, orbiting, periphrase, periphrasis, pleonasm, redundancy, rivulation, roundabout, roundaboutness, rounding, sinuation, sinuosity, sinuousness, slinkiness, snakiness, spiral, spiraling, tautology, torsion, tortility, tortuosity, tortuousness, turn, turning, twisting, undulation, verbality, wave, waving, wheeling, winding

Etymology
From circumlocutio:. Surface analysis ; see these for related terms. Probably a calque of περίφρασις:.