Indirect
[ɪndɪ'rekt;ɪndaɪ-] or [,ɪndə'rɛkt]
Definition
(adj.) not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination; 'sometimes taking an indirect path saves time'; 'you must take an indirect course in sailing' .
(adj.) extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action; 'making indirect but legitimate inquiries'; 'an indirect insult'; 'doubtless they had some indirect purpose in mind'; 'though his methods are indirect they are not dishonest'; 'known as a shady indirect fellow' .
(adj.) having intervening factors or persons or influences; 'reflection from the ceiling provided a soft indirect light'; 'indirect evidence'; 'an indirect cause' .
(adj.) not as a direct effect or consequence; 'indirect benefits'; 'an indirect advantage' .
Inputed by Clara--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Not direct; not straight or rectilinear; deviating from a direct line or course; circuitous; as, an indirect road.
(a.) Not tending to an aim, purpose, or result by the plainest course, or by obvious means, but obliquely or consequentially; by remote means; as, an indirect accusation, attack, answer, or proposal.
(a.) Not straightforward or upright; unfair; dishonest; tending to mislead or deceive.
(a.) Not resulting directly from an act or cause, but more or less remotely connected with or growing out of it; as, indirect results, damages, or claims.
(a.) Not reaching the end aimed at by the most plain and direct method; as, an indirect proof, demonstration, etc.
Editor: Terence
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. Circuitous, tortuous, not straight, not direct, not rectilinear.[2]. Roundabout, oblique, collateral, not directly to the point.[3]. Unfair, dishonest, dishonorable.
Edited by Ahmed
Synonyms and Antonyms
[See STRAIGHT_and_INSTRUCT]
Typist: Michael
Definition
adj. not direct or straight: not lineal or in direct succession: not related in the natural way oblique: not straightforward or honest.—adv. Indirect′ly.—ns. Indirect′ness Indirec′tion (Shak.) indirect course or means dishonest practice.—Indirect evidence or testimony circumstantial or inferential evidence; Indirect object (gram.) a substantive word dependent on a verb less immediately than an accusative governed by it; Indirect syllogism (logic) a syllogism which can be made more cogent and useful by the process called reduction.
Typist: Mason
Examples
- The only course is to try by all means, direct and indirect, to moderate and vary his occupations. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Even if I live I shall not be without uneasiness as to what he may attempt through indirect influence. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- For neutrals, it is indirect and dependent upon imagination. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- Because it seemed to me to have an indirect bearing upon the mystery of Woodman's Lee. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- But the nutritive foods should be wisely supplemented by such foods as fruits, whose real value is one of indirect rather then direct service. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- But there are conspicuous dangers attendant upon the transition from indirect to formal education. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- It is indirect, or emotional and intellectual, not direct or personal. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- Three points are deserving of remark in what immediately follows:--First, that the answer of Socrates is altogether indirect. Plato. The Republic.
- The influences which we can bring to bear upon this question are chiefly indirect. Plato. The Republic.
- Moreover the science has indirect effects, which are not small. Plato. The Republic.
- Is it the indirect result of my apprehensions for Laura's future? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- She could trust her own guardianship, but she could not tell what indirect or political influence might be brought to bear upon a business man. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- By indirect such as proceed from the same principles, but by the conjunction of other qualities. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- Here, then, to begin with, is something which looks suspiciously like an indirect reference to the Moonstone. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- For Bulstrode shrank from a direct lie with an intensity disproportionate to the number of his more indirect misdeeds. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Most of them MUST be indirect, they are such cowards. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Miserable, because I cannot bear to be supposed to approve of it, or have any indirect share in it. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Mrs. Trenor evidently assumed that Lily's growing intimacy with her husband was simply an indirect way of returning her own kindness. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- In 1911 an indirect potash tax was levied by Germany on her best customer, the United States, to whom 15 million dollars' worth of potash had been sold the preceding year. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
Typist: Mason