tangential
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.
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merely touching; slightly connected.
tangential information.
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divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration.
tangential remarks.
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tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.
adjective
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of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent
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Also: transverse. astronomy (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial object Compare radial
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of superficial relevance only; digressive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tangential
Explanation
Tangential describes something that's not part of the whole. If you make a comment that is tangential to the story you're telling, it's a digression. The story could still be understood without it. In geometry, a tangent is a line that touches a curve in one spot but doesn't intersect it anywhere else. Tangential means something that goes off in one direction that way and doesn't return. People can feel tangential — as though they're inessential and not relevant to a larger group.
Vocabulary lists containing tangential
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sanchez-Estrada’s conviction, in particular, has been criticized for the harsh sentencing applied and his tangential connection to the protest.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Filburn, a 1942 case in which the Supreme Court said a farmer growing wheat to feed his own livestock might have tangential effects on the interstate market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Other tangential ways to play the issue are with European defense stocks or critical minerals companies.
From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026
Jordan Weiss’ script is so tangential to the movie’s charms that things would feel pretty much the same if Harper and Lily had traded places, or honestly, if no one swapped at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
The speed that you don’t realize you are doing is your tangential velocity.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
