Circumventive describes an action, plan, or strategy designed to avoid, bypass, or evade a rule, law, obstacle, or authority, often through clever maneuvering or indirect methods. It implies a skillful, sometimes subtle, approach to get around something without directly confronting it. This can involve finding loopholes, using technicalities, or exploiting weaknesses to achieve a desired outcome. The term suggests an active and intentional effort to sidestep limitations, often with a focus on achieving a goal despite existing constraints. The underlying implication is a lack of direct engagement.
Circumventive meaning with examples
- The company's circumventive tax strategies, while technically legal, allowed them to dramatically reduce their tax obligations by shifting profits across international borders to exploit loopholes in the current law. Critics argued the company was circumventing its social responsibility to contribute fairly to society.
- Instead of challenging the zoning restrictions directly, the developer employed a circumventive plan, proposing a mixed-use building with a residential component to gain approval for the commercial spaces he truly desired, effectively bypassing the restrictions.
- In order to pass the censorship protocols, the activists used a circumventive code, which scrambled their messages, allowing their ideas to spread underground and beyond the reach of the government’s watchful eyes.
- The politician utilized a circumventive campaign strategy. He avoided controversial policies that would anger his core supporters, choosing instead to focus on general public happiness, ultimately leading to his election.
- To bypass the strict security protocols at the museum, the art thief plotted a circumventive route, exploiting a blind spot in the surveillance cameras to gain access to the invaluable artwork.