Meaning & use

rambling

adjective·Academic

Long, wandering, and lacking clear focus or organization, especially in speech or writing.

See it in a sentence

His rambling speech went on for an hour without ever reaching a clear point.

The old house had a rambling layout with hallways leading nowhere in particular.

A note on using this word

Rambling can describe disorganized speech or writing, or a building or path that sprawls irregularly rather than following a plan.

Words with a similar meaning

meanderingwordy

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

concisefocused

Another way to use it

2. noun

The British activity of walking for pleasure in the countryside, often along marked trails.

They spent the weekend rambling through the hills of the Lake District.

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