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
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Recent Examples of rambling
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
His statement came a day after the release of the Netflix series, which takes viewers back to the morning after Christmas 28 years ago, when JonBenét’s mother called 911 to report finding a rambling ransom note and her daughter missing.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
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
Adjective
Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
His statement came a day after the release of the Netflix series, which takes viewers back to the morning after Christmas 28 years ago, when JonBenét’s mother called 911 to report finding a rambling ransom note and her daughter missing.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rambling
Adjective
-
Starting during that period and continuing over the decades, Andersen very much lived the life of the wandering, nomadic poet-writer.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2025
-
California doesn’t need another governor with a wandering political eye.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
My favorite early fact about Pope Bob from Chicago comes from his talkative brother John.—
Kathryn Jean Lopez,
National Review,
12 May 2025
-
Audiences that get hyped up, like Thai audiences, are like talkative people.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, Best was cast for the malleable mannerisms and babbling delivery displayed in his stand-up comedy, and sat with Lucas to study the motivation behind Keaton’s movement.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
18 Apr. 2025
-
It’s been almost a quarter-century since Renée Zellweger first stepped into the shoes of the wine-guzzling, smoking, babbling, pratfall-prone and terminally awkward title character in Bridget Jones’s Diary.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
-
According to Smithsonian, the institute’s idyllic backdrop, with open fields where patients could imagine animals roaming free, helped convince the doctor's dozens of patients that her practices were legit.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Who knows how regular this blues-rock gig will be for the perpetually roaming Murray, but the timing is good.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The artwork is silly and exaggerated to capture youngsters’ attention.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
28 May 2025
-
Uber Technologies Woods named Uber his favorite long-term stock, and said any notion that Tesla could pose a competitive threat to the ride sharing company is exaggerated.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
While the animals couldn’t communicate to confirm whether the technology was working, their behaviors and physiology provided indirect clues to the team.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 May 2025
-
For one, there’s the notion of indirect value, which is hard to quantify for software providers that aren’t in the business of sales enablement solutions.—
Chris Mele,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Though some critics at the time were exasperated by having to read such a big, wordy book, The Times selected it as one of the best books of the year.—
Carolyn Kellogg,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
In the clip, Harris gave a wordy answer when asked about Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But Sieh is the standout, emitting a complex blend of sardonic acceptance, cynical verbosity and submerged emotional longing.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
-
Coogler can let his characters’ verbosity get the better of story momentum.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rambling. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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