tangentially

American  

[tan-jen-shuh-lee] / tænˈdʒɛn ʃə li /

Rarely tangentally

adverb

1. in a way that barely touches or involves someone or something.

   The subject’s tempestuous first marriage is only tangentially dealt with in the biography.

2. in a way that is only slightly related or relevant.

   The novel dedicates a huge amount of space to characters and events that are, at most, tangentially connected to the main plot.

3. in a divergent or digressive way.

   Whether or not this is easier, as I have tangentially mentioned, is in fact a difficult question.

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Other Word Forms

• nontangentially adverb
• untangentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of tangentially

tangential ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

There are many aspects of the recent selloff that are concerning, with anything tangentially threatened by AI getting hit hard.

From Barron's

He says that even stories tangentially linked to the military – including one he recently did on a defence housing authority – have led to phone calls from unknown numbers with warnings to go no further.

From BBC

From the bench to the C-suite, no position of honor or authority would be entrusted to anyone even tangentially connected to the madness.

From The Wall Street Journal

Secrets abound among the characters whose brief encounter at a New York emergency room sets action across decades in motion: Ivan and Eddie, as well as Cara and Nina, are only tangentially connected.

From Los Angeles Times

We meet spouses and children, some of whom are more enthusiastic than others about being tangentially pulled into the Real Housewives vortex.

From BBC