indirectly

"Indirectly" describes something happening not as a direct result, but as the result of another action, event, or connection in between. Think of it like a chain reaction: one thing leads to another, and that then leads to the final outcome. It often suggests a less obvious link, a quiet influence, or a roundabout path.

For example, if you praise a child's sibling for good behavior, hoping the first child will copy that behavior, you are trying to improve things indirectly. If a new law indirectly causes prices to rise, it means the law was not made to raise prices, but that became one of its effects.

The opposite of "indirectly" is "directly." When something happens directly, the connection is clear and immediate. When it happens indirectly, the connection is weaker, less obvious, or goes through another step. The word is often used when talking about influence, effects, or communication where the link is real but not immediate. You might say, "The company benefited indirectly from the new infrastructure project," meaning it did not receive money itself, but still gained from the better transportation.

So, if something does not happen in a straight, clear way, but happens through a chain of events, another person, or some other connecting step, it likely happened indirectly.