Rambling — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈram-b(ə-)liŋ/ ram·bling

Meaning & Definition of Rambling

Rambling (adjective)

  1. proceeding without a specific goal, purpose, or direction
  2. wandering about from one place to another
  3. straying from subject to subject

Rambling (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: desultory, digressional, digressionary, digressive, discursive, excursive, leaping, maundering, meandering, wandering
    related: circuitous, deviating, devious, indirect, roundabout
    near: coherent, consistent, logical, direct, focused, straightforward, undeviating

  2. 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"

    similar: circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, garrulous, logorrheic, long-winded, pleonastic, prolix, verbose, windy, wordy
    related: chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky, voluble, periphrastic, redundant, repetitious, tautological, tautologous, embellished, embroidered, exaggerated, bombastic, gaseous, gassy, grandiloquent, highfalutin
    opposite: compact, concise, crisp, pithy, succinct, terse
    near: brief, short, aphoristic, epigrammatic, sententious, compendious, summary, abbreviated, abridged, condensed, shortened, abrupt, blunt, brusque, curt, laconic, snippy

Rambling (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in chatter, babble

    similar: babble, babbling, blab, blabbing, chatter, chattering, drivel, driveling, gabble, gabbling, jabber, jabbering, maundering, prattle, prattling, rumor, undertone, whisper, grunt, grunting, mumble, murmur, murmuring, mutter, muttering

  2. as in digression, tangent

    similar: circuitousness, circularity, circumlocution, diffuseness, prolixity, verbosity, windiness, wordiness, aside, digression, divagation, excursion, tangent, excursus, parenthesis

Rambling (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: blathering (on), going on, maundering, rattling, running on, running one's mouth
    related: deviating, digressing, straying, wandering, sidetracking, blabbering, blabbing, blithering, bumbling, burbling, chattering, chatting, driveling, drooling, gabbing, gabbling, gibbering, jabbering, pattering, prating, prattling, waffling

  2. 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"

    similar: batting, cruising, drifting, floating, gadding (about), gallivanting, kicking around, knocking (about), maundering, meandering, mooching, ranging, roaming, roving, traipsing, wandering
    related: ambling, sauntering, strolling, dawdling, moping, hoboing, tramping, vagabonding, milling (about or around), straggling, straying

  3. to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure

    "we're planning to ramble all over the highland moors when we're in Dartmoor"

    similar: ambling, hiking, perambulating, sauntering, strolling, tramping, tromping
    related: roaming, roving, wandering, peregrinating, traipsing, traversing, trekking, walking, marching, promenading, power walking

Related Entry: Ramble (verb)

Ramble is a different word from Rambling. The synonyms below are for ramble, not for rambling.

  1. 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"

    similar: blather (on), go on, maunder, rattle, run on, run one's mouth
    related: deviate, digress, stray, wander, sidetrack, blab, blabber, blither, bumble, burble, chat, chatter, drivel, drool, gab, gabble, gibber, jabber, patter, prate, prattle, waffle

  2. 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"

    similar: bat, cruise, drift, float, gad (about), gallivant, kick around, knock (about), maunder, meander, mooch, range, roam, rove, traipse, wander
    related: amble, saunter, stroll, dawdle, mope, hobo, tramp, vagabond, mill (about or around), straggle, stray

  3. to travel by foot for exercise or pleasure

    "we're planning to ramble all over the highland moors when we're in Dartmoor"

    similar: amble, hike, perambulate, saunter, stroll, tramp, tromp
    related: roam, rove, wander, peregrinate, traipse, traverse, trek, walk, march, promenade, power walk

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Rambling

The most common words with a similar meaning to Rambling:

desultory, digressional, digressionary, digressive, discursive, excursive, leaping, maundering, meandering, wandering, circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, garrulous, logorrheic, long-winded, pleonastic, prolix, verbose, windy, wordy, babble, babbling, blab, blabbing, chatter, chattering, drivel, driveling, gabble, gabbling, jabber, jabbering, prattle, prattling, rumor, undertone, whisper, grunt, grunting

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Rambling

Words with the opposite meaning of Rambling:

compact, concise, crisp, pithy, succinct, terse

Related Words for Rambling

deviating, devious, indirect, roundabout, chatty, communicative, conversational, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky, voluble, periphrastic, redundant, repetitious, tautological, tautologous, embellished, embroidered, exaggerated, bombastic, gaseous, gassy, grandiloquent, highfalutin, digressing, straying, sidetracking, blabbering, blithering

Near Antonyms of Rambling

coherent, consistent, logical, direct, focused, straightforward, undeviating, brief, short, aphoristic, epigrammatic, sententious, compendious, summary, abbreviated, abridged, condensed, shortened, abrupt, blunt, brusque, curt, laconic, snippy

Word Forms of Rambling

Derived words: ramblingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Rambling

First known use: circa 1609

Frequently Asked Questions about Rambling

What does "Rambling" mean?

"Rambling" means proceeding without a specific goal, purpose, or direction. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: proceeding without a specific goal, purpose, or direction. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Rambling"?

Other words for "Rambling" include desultory, digressional, digressionary, digressive, discursive, excursive, leaping and maundering. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Rambling" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Rambling"?

There are 137 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Rambling". Common alternatives include desultory, digressional, digressionary, digressive, discursive, excursive, leaping, maundering, meandering and wandering.

What is the opposite of "Rambling"?

Antonyms of "Rambling" include compact, concise, crisp, pithy, succinct and terse. Near antonyms include coherent, consistent, logical and direct.

How do you use "Rambling" in a sentence?

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"; "the teenagers sat around the pizza parlor, rambling on about dating, homework, movies, and the local football team".

Is "Rambling" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Rambling" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Rambling"?

"Rambling" is pronounced /ˈram-b(ə-)liŋ/ and divided into syllables as ram·bling.

What is the origin of the word "Rambling"?

First known use: circa 1609.