1
as in wandering
passing from one topic to another
I listened patiently to Mrs. Parsifal's rambling reminiscences, though I had no idea who "Dorothy" and "the stepson" were
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in talkative
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
the new minister gives rambling sermons that, if they have a point, are lost on the congregation, which invariably falls asleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in prolixity
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in rattling
to talk at length without sticking to a topic or getting to a point
the teenagers sat around the pizza parlor, rambling on about dating, homework, movies, and the local football team
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in roaming
to move about from place to place aimlessly
by tirelessly rambling around San Francisco for a week we probably saw more of it than many residents ever have
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in strolling
to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure
we're planning to ramble all over the highland moors when we're in Dartmoor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rambling
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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rambling
Adjective
-
The film is narrated in the languages of the cultures the characters move through, as Burmese gives way to Thai, to Vietnamese, and beyond — a wandering, collective dream.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
-
Take in all of Bernardo’s wandering wonder, then listen to what makes your traveling heart beat stronger.Laura Manske, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Those born under the Gemini zodiac sign are said to be talkative, outgoing and adaptable.Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 18 June 2024
-
Crying babies and talkative couples aside, the sound of the plane’s engine alone can be enough to make in-flight naps feel impossible.Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Moore, even in her 90s, is quite the babbling brook — twinkly and self-possessed, a calm pathological narcissist, the kind of person who spins out her life like a novel, making stories she’s told a million times sound spontaneous.Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Oct. 2024
-
Leon leaned down to inspect how the cement bags were holding up against the babbling water.Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Verb
-
Themes at these Phoenix and Scottsdale bars vary from whimsical to spooky to downright haunted, with decorations like legs coming through the ceiling, a headless man roaming the shadows and playful vintage decor that's more nostalgic than nail-biting.Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
-
Bedard once again was roaming the ice at Fifth Third Arena long after practice had ended.Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Astle lives a little over 60 miles from the Mexican border, and said the talk of higher crime in the area due to immigration is exaggerated.Lorie Konish, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Allegations of widespread mail-in ballot fraud are also exaggerated.Clifford Tatum, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
This growth was driven by an increase in both direct and indirect revenues.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
-
The Irish scored on an indirect free kick from inside the penalty area to tie the game with 10 seconds left as Mitch Ferguson’s shot deflected off a Cardinal defender and past goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly, whose time wasting had drawn a yellow card to set up the free kick.Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
This is a talky chamber piece of philosophical face-offs, debate duels and wordy warfare, though the outcomes remain just as harrowing.Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
-
Using the Concise function on highlighted text to boil it down strips out too much personality, while the Friendly function gets too wordy and often misses the sentence's or paragraph's original point.PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
But many French are deeply sick of hearing his volcanic verbosity.Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
-
Williams is regarded as a smart player, but has always played with a lot of emotion — and verbosity.Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near rambling
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rambling. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share