obliquity
Americannoun
plural
obliquities-
the state of being oblique.
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divergence from moral conduct, rectitude, etc.; immorality, dishonesty, or the like.
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an instance of such divergence.
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mental perversity.
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an instance of mental perversity.
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an inclination or a degree of inclination.
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a confusing or obscure statement or passage of writing, especially one deliberately made obscure.
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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.
noun
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the state or condition of being oblique
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a deviation from the perpendicular or horizontal
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a moral or mental deviation
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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
Etymology
Origin of obliquity
1375–1425; late Middle English obliquitee < Middle French obliquite < Latin oblīquitās, equivalent to oblīqu ( us ) oblique + -itās -ity
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.
That represents Earth’s axial tilt, which astronomers call its obliquity, relative to the plane of its nearly circular orbit around the sun.
From Scientific American
It has also long caused astronomers to wonder whether Earth’s tilt — arguably a sweet spot between more extreme obliquities — helped create the conditions necessary for life.
From 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.
From 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.
From 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.
From New York Times
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.
