as in aside
a departure from the subject under consideration
in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in tangential
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangent
Lauren A. White, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
Several times throughout the series, Alec will start to delve into a tangent about, well, literally anything: the history of the Hamptons, the history of Long Island, the ocean, the Suffolk County water authority, old houses in their neighborhood.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Noun
Medford Police Department As their journey continued, Ford says Jones began going off on tangents.
—Lauren A. White, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
Several times throughout the series, Alec will start to delve into a tangent about, well, literally anything: the history of the Hamptons, the history of Long Island, the ocean, the Suffolk County water authority, old houses in their neighborhood.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
This imaginary friend guides him through the tangent universe, encourages him to commit a series of crimes, and ends up triggering a chain of supernatural events.
—Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
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Mentioned almost as an aside during jury selection last week, the subject of the suddenly unreachable Victim-3, came up on May 9 in what was supposed to be near formality of a hearing.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
11 May 2025
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These asides prevent The Last of Us from delving into Ellie’s larger emotional journey of having to rediscover her humanity while she’s overwhelmed by her grief.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That’s just one of many tangential critiques the director lobs at Brazilian society in a movie that might have clocked in well under two hours without such digressions.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 May 2025
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By eschewing administrative bloat and tangential initiatives, Brand New’s small team remains agile and free to react quickly to clients’ needs and cultural moments like Coachella or Fashion Week.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That’s just one of many tangential critiques the director lobs at Brazilian society in a movie that might have clocked in well under two hours without such digressions.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 May 2025
-
Told in a fragmentary narrative filled with digression (and interjections from the author), Khoury’s novel tackles themes of identity and oppression that are incredibly relevant today.—
Nate Zipp,
Christian Science Monitor,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Five years after the pandemic, successful retailers are using data to develop the business equivalent of peripheral vision.—
Greg Petro,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Rieder has also recently been adding European sovereign bonds from Germany, as well as some peripheral sovereigns such as France, Ireland, Spain and Italy.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Footage labeled as ‘incidental’ — which is how the FWC says its two officers labeled their footage — includes FWC officers issuing warnings or non-criminal infraction citations, the policy says.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2025
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Programs that nominally reimburse donors for incidental costs are either means-tested against recipients or only offer reimbursement after donation, meaning donors must be able to afford lost wages and other costs upfront.—
Ruby Rorty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Brock Purdy certainly isn't going to be paid like someone who's irrelevant anymore.—
Cesar Brioso,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
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But the details of how Peter ran his kingdom are irrelevant, if colorful.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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