In poetic usage, “indirect” describes a mode of expression that conveys meaning through implication, suggestion, or oblique reference rather than explicit statement, often employing understatement, symbolism, or narrative indirection to evoke emotion or theme; this technique invites active reader interpretation, as in Emily Dickinson’s elliptical syntax or haiku’s reliance on seasonal allusion (kigo) to imply mood without naming it, allowing the unsaid to resonate more powerfully than direct declaration, and aligning with modernist and Eastern aesthetic principles that value subtlety, restraint, and the power of the unsaid.

Indirect expression conveys meaning through implication rather than statement. Related to understatement and unstated metaphor. In analysis, ask: “What is left unsaid?” Useful for creating subtlety or inviting reader interpretation.