adjective
- Having intervening factors or persons or influences.
- usage: "reflection from the ceiling provided a soft indirect light"; "indirect evidence"; "an indirect cause"
- Not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination.
- usage: "sometimes taking an indirect path saves time"; "you must take an indirect course in sailing"
- Descended from a common ancestor but through different lines.
- usage: "cousins are collateral relatives"; "an indirect descendant of the Stuarts"
- synonyms: collateral
- Extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action.
- usage: "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"
- Not as a direct effect or consequence.
- usage: "indirect benefits"; "an indirect advantage"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). indirect. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/indirect/definitions/1176456 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "indirect" http://smartdefine.org/indirect/definitions/1176456 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, indirect, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/indirect/definitions/1176456>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "indirect" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/indirect/definitions/1176456> |