Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Long-winded, rambling, or overly lengthy: Describes speech, writing, or an activity that is unnecessarily prolonged, tedious, and lacks conciseness. It implies a sense of dragging on without a clear end or point.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bài phát biểu của ông ấy lươn mươn quá, ai cũng buồn ngủ. (His speech was so long-winded, everyone got sleepy.)
  • Đừng có kể chuyện lươn mươn nữa, hãy đi thẳng vào vấn đề đi. (Stop telling the story in such a rambling way, get to the point.)
  • Cuộc họp lươn mươn cả buổi chiều mà không giải quyết được gì. (The meeting dragged on all afternoon without resolving anything.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is almost exclusively used in a negative context to criticize the length or tediousness of verbal or written communication. It carries a connotation of annoyance or frustration on the part of the listener or reader.

Variants and Related Words

• Dài dòng (adj): verbose, long-winded. A more common synonym.
• Lê thê (adj): dragging, protracted. Often describes something that stretches out slowly and tiresomely.

Synonyms

• Prolix: Using too many words; tediously lengthy.
• Verbose: Using more words than needed; wordy.
• Rambling: Lengthy and confused or inconsequential.

Related Idioms

• Nói dài nói dai thành nói dại: A proverb meaning "To speak long and persistently becomes to speak foolishly." This idiom captures the danger of "lươn mươn" speech, where excessive talking can lead to saying unwise things.