adjective
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directed or inclining to one side
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indirect or oblique
adverb
Etymology
Origin of sidelong
Explanation
A sidelong glance or facial expression is directed toward one side, and it's also usually skeptical or suspicious. If your brother promises to clean the whole house, you might react with a sidelong look at him. Sidelong can be used as an adjective or an adverb, so you can give your friend a sidelong glance when she starts reading the wrong paragraph aloud in English class, and you can also look sidelong at the kid beside you who's asleep and snoring at his desk. The adverb is older, and it comes from the Middle English sidlyng.
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.
This wouldn’t bother me at all, except it is a frequent topic of conversation, and I’ve gotten sidelong glances and been directly questioned about it.
From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2022
Cavill, who’s as lethal with a disappointed sigh or a sidelong glance as Geralt is with a dagger, is still a steady, engaging presence at the center of the action.
From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2021
Trapped along the sidelong, he shoveled the ball back to Dwight Garner, a freshman running back.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2021
And Andrea Riseborough is terrific expressing considerable disdain with just a sidelong glance.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2021
I gave Jenna a sidelong glance, expecting her to back me up, but instead, she was looking at the two dresses closest to her.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
