tangential
[ tan-jen-shuhl ]
/ tænˈdʒɛn ʃəl /
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adjective
pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.
merely touching; slightly connected: tangential information.
divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration: tangential remarks.
tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.
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Rarely tan·gen·tal [tan-jen-tl]. /tænˈdʒɛn tl/.
OTHER WORDS FROM tangential
tan·gen·ti·al·i·ty [tan-jen-tee-al-i-tee], /tænˌdʒɛn tiˈæl ɪ ti/, nountan·gen·tial·ly, adverbnon·tan·gen·tial, adjectiveun·tan·gen·tial, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use tangential in a sentence
There had been aspirations, gorgeous and tangental as comets are.
The Perfume of Eros: A Fifth Avenue Incident|Edgar Saltus
British Dictionary definitions for tangential
tangential
/ (tænˈdʒɛnʃəl) /
adjective
of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent
Also: transverse astronomy (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial objectCompare radial (def. 6)
of superficial relevance only; digressive
Derived forms of tangential
tangentiality, nountangentially or tangentally, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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