tangential

American  

[tan-jen-shuhl] / tænˈdʒɛn ʃəl /

Rarely tangental

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.

2. merely touching; slightly connected.

   tangential information.

3. divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration.

   tangential remarks.

4. tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.

---

tangential British  

/ tænˈdʒɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent

2. Also: transverse.  astronomy (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial object Compare radial

3. of superficial relevance only; digressive

---

Other Word Forms

• nontangential adjective
• tangentiality noun
• tangentially adverb
• untangential adjective

Etymology

Origin of tangential

First recorded in 1620–30; tangent + -ial

Example Sentences

It ranges from the greenest to the dirtiest, from established technologies to speculative ones, and even includes companies that play tangential roles in the sector.

From The Wall Street Journal

The story gets bogged down in tangential matters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jordan Weiss’ script is so tangential to the movie’s charms that things would feel pretty much the same if Harper and Lily had traded places, or honestly, if no one swapped at all.

From Los Angeles Times

But in other circumstances, the law became a powerful cudgel wielded to influence concerns that at best had a tangential relationship to the environment.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a bit of a tangential question.

From Salon

Related Words

• extraneous
• unrelated