as in aside
a departure from the subject under consideration
in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in tangential
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tangent
David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
But there’s no one really off on a tangent doing their own thing.
—Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Noun
There are cogent points about white supremacy and environmental destruction cheek by jowl with tangents on R. Kelly, ChatGPT, and the hair-root plexus.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
But there’s no one really off on a tangent doing their own thing.
—Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
This imaginary friend guides him through the tangent universe, encourages him to commit a series of crimes, and ends up triggering a chain of supernatural events.
—Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
-
There was some talk among Trump allies that Musk’s media appearances may be curbed after an aside about the need to address waste in Social Security became fodder for Democrats who viewed it as an attack on the program.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
26 Mar. 2025
-
As an aside, will disappointing guidance lead to future weakness?—
Trefis Team,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Indeed, Buchwald won; the suit was famous in Hollywood circles regarding a tangential issue, namely laying bare the industry accounting practices that kept even wildly successful films from ever making a profit on paper.—
Bill Wyman,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Much like Kiryu's spy caper, Pirate Yakuza takes what would be tangential in the main series — a whacky combat arena — and centers a plot around it.—
James Perkins Mastromarino,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The metafictional form of the book and its digressions on the nature of novel writing itself are deliberately off-putting and call into question the narrative’s truthfulness.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Spread across a larger ensemble, with more side alleys and self-amusing authorial digressions, The Barbarians is more diffuse.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Side vision, also known as peripheral vision, measures how well your eyes can see objects that are not in your central vision.—
Vanessa Caceres,
Verywell Health,
8 Apr. 2025
-
This damage can result in coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, aneurysms and peripheral artery disease.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The girl who dies is almost incidental to the plot.—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
During these long missions, astronauts could get injured, causing what can be considered incidental disability.—
Jesse Rhoades,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
They’re beautifully designed and thoroughly approved—but quickly irrelevant.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Wherever Detroit falls in the standings should be irrelevant Friday, though.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share