rambling

adjective

ram·​bling ˈram-b(ə-)liŋ 

1

: proceeding without a specific goal, purpose, or direction: such as

a

: wandering about from one place to another

a rambling walk

b

: straying from subject to subject

a rambling essay/discussion/discourse

a rambling talker

His text is at times repetitious and rambling.

—Robert Howard

c

: stretching, spreading, or growing in a winding or irregular way

a rambling stream

rambling roses

2

: large and informally designed

a rambling farmhouse

… blue-tinged shots give the sinister prison … the air of a rambling edifice out of Dickens.

—Celia Wren

ramblingly adverb

a ramblingly told story

Synonyms

• desultory
• digressional
• digressionary
• digressive
• discursive
• excursive
• leaping
• maundering
• meandering
• wandering

Examples of rambling in a Sentence

I listened patiently to Mrs. Parsifal's rambling reminiscences, though I had no idea who "Dorothy" and "the stepson" were

the new minister gives rambling sermons that, if they have a point, are lost on the congregation, which invariably falls asleep

Recent Examples on the Web

There is more than 178 feet of beach and ocean frontage, which can be accessed via a rambling wooden staircase. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024

Some, of course, will find this style of writing off-putting and too rambling or the prose verging on purple, the narrative perhaps not story-driven enough. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Trump, who has faced ridicule from Democrats and other critics for his rambling rallies, accused Micklethwait of jumping back and forth between topics. —Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024

The Harris campaign, her allies, and Trump’s enemies have sought to capitalize on the age concerns by incessantly highlighting Trump’s rambling and bizarre tangents in his speeches, factual errors and nonsensical answers to questions from reporters and voters. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

The big picture: Trump took Harris' bait throughout the evening, often making rambling statements or unleashing personal attacks that are unlikely to appeal to moderate voters. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024

Harris came in trying to rattle and bait Trump, and often succeeded, leading to defensive, angry and rambling responses as the vice president had the upper hand throughout much of the contest. —Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024

Thursday’s rambling and false claim filled press conference is the first Trump has given since he was convicted on 34 felony counts in his hush money trial. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2024

The riff has all the hallmarks of a classic Trumpian yarn — full of fabrication, riddled with illogic, defying the laws of physics and, by turns, rambling and hyperbolic, humorous and head-scratching. —Ashley Parker, Washington Post, 26 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1