tangential
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.
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merely touching; slightly connected.
tangential information.
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divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration.
tangential remarks.
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tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.
adjective
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of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent
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Also: transverse. astronomy (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial object Compare radial
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of superficial relevance only; digressive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of tangential
Explanation
Tangential describes something that's not part of the whole. If you make a comment that is tangential to the story you're telling, it's a digression. The story could still be understood without it. In geometry, a tangent is a line that touches a curve in one spot but doesn't intersect it anywhere else. Tangential means something that goes off in one direction that way and doesn't return. People can feel tangential — as though they're inessential and not relevant to a larger group.
Vocabulary lists containing tangential
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Common Senses: Tact, Tang ("Touch")
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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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.
Tangential acceleration at is directly related to the angular acceleration α and is linked to an increase or decrease in the velocity, but not its direction.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
Writer Becky Lang has written about this phenomenon for The Tangential.
From The Guardian • Aug. 4, 2015
Tangential entries cause the warm moist air to spin as it rises forming an anchored convective vortex.
From Forbes • Dec. 17, 2012
Tangential: 4.57 X 1.063 X 0.074 = - 0.359 pounds, which latter, being negative, is a propelling force.
From Flying Machines: construction and operation; a practical book which shows, in illustrations, working plans and text, how to build and navigate the modern airship by Chanute, Octave
Tangential action does not, however, necessarily imply a force of the latter kind.
From The Glaciers of the Alps Being a narrative of excursions and ascents, etc. by Tyndall, John
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.
