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View synonyms for

elliptical

[ ih-lip-ti-kuhl ]

adjective

  1. pertaining to or having the form of an ellipse.
  2. pertaining to or marked by grammatical ellipsis.
  3. (of speech or writing) expressed with extreme or excessive economy; relieved of irrelevant matter:

    to converse in elliptical sentences.

  4. (of a style of speaking or writing) tending to be ambiguous, cryptic, or obscure:

    an elliptical prose that is difficult to translate.



noun

  1. Astronomy. elliptical galaxy.

elliptical

/ ɪˈɪɪə /

adjective

  1. relating to or having the shape of an ellipse
  2. relating to or resulting from ellipsis
  3. of speech, literary style, etc
    1. very condensed or concise, often so as to be obscure or ambiguous
    2. circumlocutory or long-winded
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage

The use of elliptical to mean circumlocutory should be avoided as it may be interpreted wrongly as meaning condensed or concise
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Derived Forms

  • ˈپԱ, noun
  • ˈپ, adverb
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Other yvlog Forms

  • ·t··Ա noun
  • ԴDze·t adjective
  • ԴDze·t· adjective
  • ԴDze·t··ly adverb
  • v··t· adjective
  • v··t··ly adverb
  • ܲe·t adjective
  • ܲe·t· adjective
  • ܲe·t· adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of elliptical1

1650–60; < Greek elleiptik ( ó ) defective ( ellipsis, -tic ) + -al 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, it was sparsely populated, with just a few dozen members working out on brand-new, still-gleaming treadmills, bikes and elliptical machines.

From

We have a little home gym, and I do a 20-minute, brutal, fast-paced blast on the elliptical machine to make sure I get my endorphins up and my cardiovascular system going.

From

The numerous narrative devices that the film employs — including an elliptical framing structure, Austin’s voice-over narration and even an imaginary friend — are entirely too cute by half.

From

Blocks and blocks of homes had disappeared, replaced by the rubble of charred lives: A scorched elliptical machine stood alone on one lot.

From

Told in an elliptical style with novelistic chapters, the story follows Agnes, a literature grad student turned junior professor at a small liberal arts college who is struggling to move forward from a traumatic event.

From

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