Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com

going in circles

ADJECTIVE
lost
Synonyms
STRONGEST
absent absorbed unconscious wasted
STRONG
abstracted bemused bewildered engrossed entranced musing perplexed preoccupied spellbound
WEAK
absentminded distrait dreamy faraway feeble ignorant inconscient rapt taken in taken up
Antonyms
STRONG
unoccupied
WEAK
accomplishing alive attentive aware cognizant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My heart was racing, and my mind was going in circles, trying to figure out what went wrong.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2025

“Are you from here? We keep going in circles trying to find our Airbnb, and our GPS is going crazy.”

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2024

If you feel like conversations with him are going in circles, and are deepening the wound, it may indicate the need for couples counseling or that you need to break up.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2023

“We’ve turned the corner so many times, we’re going in circles in these regions,” she said.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2020

He had to be sure he didn’t start going in circles, following the same twig more than once.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret