obliquity

American  

[uh-blik-wi-tee, oh-blik-] / əˈblɪk wɪ ti, oʊˈblɪk- /

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.

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obliquity British  

/ 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

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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

Explanation

Obliquity is a characteristic of being deliberately indirect or vague, especially to fool or deceive someone. The obliquity of many politicians makes it hard to get a straight answer from them. If your teacher comments on the obliquity of your poem, it may be a compliment, or it may mean your writing is just hard to understand. And while obliquity isn't a bad quality in a poet, it's less desirable in a math tutor, or anyone who needs to be straightforward and clear. We can trace the origin of obliquity back to the Latin obliquus, "slanting, sidelong, or indirect."

Example Sentences

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 • Oct. 12, 2021

Sweeping statements were made about genre and obliquity and readerly expectations.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2019

That, combined with the fact it is presently very difficult to measure an exoplanet’s tilt, has led most astronomers to mostly ignore obliquity when they model the evolution of planetary systems.

From Scientific American • Mar. 4, 2019

“You could have any obliquity and you could still have habitable conditions on the surface of the planet.”

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2018

This state of the atmosphere continues uninterruptedly until winter; nor can there be any frost there in winter, because even then the sun's rays fall with but little obliquity upon the surface of the earth.

From Popular Books on Natural Science For Practical Use in Every Household, for Readers of All Classes by Bernstein, Aaron David

Related Words

• absurdity
• craziness
• foolishness
• idiocy
• indiscretion
• lunacy
• madness
• recklessness
• silliness
• stupidity