obliquity

[ uh-blik-wi-tee, oh-blik- ]
See synonyms for: obliquityobliquitous on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural o·bliq·ui·ties.
  1. the state of being oblique.

  2. divergence from moral conduct, rectitude, etc.; immorality, dishonesty, or the like.

  1. an instance of such divergence.

  2. mental perversity.

  3. an instance of mental perversity.

  4. an inclination or a degree of inclination.

  5. a confusing or obscure statement or passage of writing, especially one deliberately made obscure.

  6. Also called obliquity of the ecliptic. Astronomy. the angle between the plane of the earth's orbit and that of the earth's equator, equal to 23°27′; the inclination of the earth's equator.

Origin of obliquity

1
1375–1425; late Middle English obliquitee<Middle French obliquite<Latin oblīquitās, equivalent to oblīqu(us) oblique + -itās-ity

Other words from obliquity

  • o·bliq·ui·tous, adjective

Words Nearby obliquity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use obliquity in a sentence

  • This perhaps accounted for the obliquity of his glance, which, some believed, conveyed a useful hint about his character.

    The Girl From Keller's | Harold Bindloss
  • They were wide and brown, deep as grotto pools, and strange, with a hint of obliquity alien to him by untold centuries.

  • On the contrary, what I see in it is a spurious sensibility and that moral obliquity to which I have referred.

    The English Stage | Augustin Filon
  • If the obliquity of the ecliptic were made 10 greater, what would be the effect upon the seasons in the temperate zones?

    A Text-Book of Astronomy | George C. Comstock
  • All darkness had not passed away from their understandings, nor all obliquity from their hearts.

British Dictionary definitions for obliquity

obliquity

/ (əˈblɪkwɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the state or condition of being oblique

  2. a deviation from the perpendicular or horizontal

  1. a moral or mental deviation

  2. Also called: obliquity of the ecliptic astronomy the angle between the plane of the earth's orbit and that of the celestial equator, equal to approximately 23° 27′ at present

Derived forms of obliquity

  • obliquitous, adjective

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