oblique
neither perpendicular nor parallel to a given line or surface; slanting; sloping.
(of a solid) not having the axis perpendicular to the plane of the base.
diverging from a given straight line or course.
not straight or direct, as a course.
indirectly stated or expressed; not straightforward: oblique remarks about the candidate's honesty.
indirectly aimed at or reached, as ends or results; deviously achieved.
morally, ethically, or mentally wrong; underhand; perverse.
Typography. (of a letter) slanting toward the right, as a form of sans-serif, gothic, or square-serif type.
Rhetoric. indirect (applied to discourse in which the original words of a speaker or writer are assimilated to the language of the reporter).
Anatomy. pertaining to muscles running obliquely in the body as opposed to those running transversely or longitudinally.
Botany. having unequal sides, as a leaf.
Grammar. noting or pertaining to any case of noun inflection except nominative and vocative: Latin genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative cases are said to be oblique.
Drafting. designating a method of projection (oblique projection ) in which a three-dimensional object is represented by a drawing (oblique drawing ) in which the face, usually parallel to the picture plane, is represented in accurate or exact proportion, and all other faces are shown at any convenient angle other than 90°.: Compare axonometric, cabinet (def. 19), isometric (def. 5).
Military. at an angle of 45°.
something that is oblique.
Grammar. an oblique case.
Anatomy. any of several oblique muscles, especially in the walls of the abdomen.
Origin of oblique
1Other words for oblique
Other words from oblique
- o·blique·ness, noun
- sub·o·blique, adjective
- sub·o·blique·ly, adverb
- sub·o·blique·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for oblique
/ (əˈbliːk) /
at an angle; slanting; sloping
geometry
(of lines, planes, etc) neither perpendicular nor parallel to one another or to another line, plane, etc
not related to or containing a right angle
indirect or evasive
grammar denoting any case of nouns, pronouns, etc, other than the nominative and vocative
biology having asymmetrical sides or planes: an oblique leaf
(of a map projection) constituting a type of zenithal projection in which the plane of projection is tangential to the earth's surface at some point between the equator and the poles
something oblique, esp a line
another name for solidus (def. 1)
nautical the act of changing course by less than 90°
an aerial photograph taken at an oblique angle
to take or have an oblique direction
(of a military formation) to move forward at an angle
Origin of oblique
1Derived forms of oblique
- obliquely, adverb
- obliqueness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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