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Definition of indirect adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

indirect

adjective
 OPAL W
 
/ˌɪndəˈrekt/,
 
/ˌɪndaɪˈrekt/
 
/ˌɪndəˈrekt/,
 
/ˌɪndaɪˈrekt/
[usually before noun]
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  1.  
     happening not as the main aim, cause or result of a particular action, but in addition to it
    • the indirect effects of the war
    • to find something out by indirect methods
    • The building collapsed as an indirect result of the heavy rain.
    • There would be some benefit, however indirect, to the state.
    Topics Change, cause and effectb1
  2.  
     not done directly; done through somebody/something else
    • territories under the indirect control of the British
  3.  
     avoiding saying something in a clear and obvious way
    • The comment was an indirect attack on the prime minister.
    • The president made an indirect reference to the subject in his speech.
  4.  
     not going in a straight line
    • an indirect route
    • The plant prefers indirect sunlight.
    5. opposite direct
    Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘not in full grammatical concord’): from medieval Latin indirectus, from in- ‘not’ + directus (past participle of dirigere, from di- ‘distinctly’ or de- ‘down’ + regere ‘put straight’).
See indirect in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee indirect in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: indirect

Nearby words

dizzy
adjective
 
 
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