tangential

[ tan-jen-shuhl ]
See synonyms for tangential on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.

  2. merely touching; slightly connected: tangential information.

  1. divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration: tangential remarks.

  2. tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.

Origin of tangential

1
First recorded in 1620–30; tangent + -ial
  • Rarely tan·gen·tal [tan-jen-tl]. /tænˈdʒɛn tl/.

Other words from tangential

  • tan·gen·ti·al·i·ty [tan-jen-tee-al-i-tee], /tænˌdʒɛn tiˈæl ɪ ti/, noun
  • tan·gen·tial·ly, adverb
  • non·tan·gen·tial, adjective
  • un·tan·gen·tial, adjective

Words Nearby tangential

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

How to use tangential in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tangential

tangential

/ (tænˈdʒɛnʃəl) /


adjective
  1. of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent

  2. Also: transverse astronomy (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial object: Compare radial (def. 6)

  1. of superficial relevance only; digressive

Derived forms of tangential

  • tangentiality, noun
  • tangentially or tangentally, adverb

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