obliquity

[uh-blik-wi-tee, oh-blik-]

noun

plural

obliquities 

1. the state of being oblique.

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

3. an instance of such divergence.

4. mental perversity.

5. an instance of mental perversity.

6. an inclination or a degree of inclination.

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

8. 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.

obliquity

/ əˈblɪkwɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or condition of being oblique

2. a deviation from the perpendicular or horizontal

3. a moral or mental deviation

4. 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

Other Word Forms

• obliquitous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obliquity¹

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

Example Sentences

That represents Earth’s axial tilt, which astronomers call its obliquity, relative to the plane of its nearly circular orbit around the sun.

Read more on Scientific American

Such a slouch, or obliquity, gives us our seasons.

Read more on New York Times

It’s not a question of subtlety, which the stage can accommodate, but obliquity, which feels like an evasion of theater’s confrontational power.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This led to the recognition of regular changes in key astronomical parameters: the eccentricity of Earth’s orbit around the Sun, and the obliquity and precession of Earth’s rotational axis.

Read more on Nature

To tell such stories effectively demanded a degree of canniness and obliquity to sidestep reflexive responses and surprise readers into fresh feeling and seeing.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• absurdity 
• craziness 
• foolishness 
• idiocy 
• indiscretion 
• lunacy 
• madness 
• recklessness www.thesaurus.com
• silliness 
• stupidity