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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangent
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Stephen seemed to have a couple tangents like that one.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for tangent 
Noun
Odd tangents by Trump, such as about the fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter or the late golfer Arnold Palmer’s genitalia, have also become routine.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Stephen seemed to have a couple tangents like that one.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
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In its legal asides and the opaque quality of its principal characters, the series mirrors the spirit of the books.Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
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As an aside, what’s happening with the controversial AI Stock Super Micro Computer?Trefis Team, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Even if an idea feels tangential or trivial, consider it.Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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His meandering public speeches have, in recent months, grown longer, more tangential, and darker in tone.Tribune News Service, Sun Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
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There are almost no digressions on this show, none of the narrative curlicues and flourishes that elevate work above serviceable.Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
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His whole digression into crypto bros and podcast listeners has been all over my For You pages this week, and for good reason.David Pierce, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Movement intention originates in the brain, which sends electrical impulses through the peripheral nerves to tell the muscle to contract.Emily Mullin, WIRED, 9 Dec. 2024
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None of these peripheral characters feel fully sketched out, despite the actors trying to liven things up; at least Crowe lends gravitas and a sense of anarchy to his nightmare of a patriarch, and Nivola seems to be having fun prior to his CGI transformation thing.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Brown occupies a curious position in the vast industry of college football—both at the center of it and incidental to the massive changes wrought by conference realignment.Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2024
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They were told the migrant crisis wasn’t real — that the problems associated with an unmitigated flow of non-citizens into their towns and cities were anecdotal and incidental.S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Smartmatic's lawyers argued that the indictment is irrelevant to their lawsuit.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
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While many of these Indigenous AI projects are in their early stages, Running Wolf hopes programs like his will be irrelevant in a decade or two.Iris Kim, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near tangent
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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