oblique

¹oblique

adj
\ō-ˈblēk, ə-, -ˈblīk; military usually ī\

Definition of OBLIQUE

1

a : neither perpendicular nor parallel : inclined b : having the axis not perpendicular to the base <an oblique cone> c : having no right angle <an oblique triangle>

2

a : not straightforward : indirect; also : obscure b : devious, underhanded

3

: situated at an angle and having one end not inserted on bone <oblique muscles>

4

: taken from an airplane with the camera directed horizontally or diagonally downward <an oblique photograph>

— oblique·ly adverb

— oblique·ness noun

Examples of OBLIQUE

1. The short lines of the letter “k” are oblique lines.
2. <gave the eavesdropper an oblique glance out of the corner of her eye>
3. Harden … , who missed a month with a strained left oblique muscle, has become one of the game's most intimidating starters in just his second full big league season. —Albert Chen, Sports Illustrated, 8 Aug. 2005
4. They were painted in oil paints on old-fashioned canvas. But the manner of their portrayal was oblique and enigmatic, with an element of hide-and-seek in which hiding most often won out over seeking. —John Russell, New York Times Magazine, 11 Nov. 1990
5. The driveway met the street at an oblique angle, and a jutting corner of the customer's cinderblock building, a large power pole, and a berm of trash (pallets, pails, chunks of wood) made it a dogleg affair. —Bryan Di Salvatore, New Yorker, 12 Sept. 1988

Origin of OBLIQUE

Middle English oblike, from Latin obliquus

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to OBLIQUE

Synonyms: askew, aslant, atilt, cock-a-hoop, cockeyed, crazy, crooked, listing, lopsided, awry, off-kilter, pitched, skewed, slanted, slanting, slantwise, tilted, tipping, uneven

Antonyms: even, level, straight

Related Words: asymmetrical (or asymmetric), unbalanced, unsymmetrical; contorted, disordered, distorted, irregular

Near Antonyms: ordered, orderly, regular, uniform; balanced, symmetrical (or symmetric)

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, radii, rhomb

Rhymes with OBLIQUE

antique, apeak, batik, Belleek, bespeak, bezique, blue streak, boutique, cacique, Cloud Peak, critique, debeak, forepeak, forespeak, Grays Peak, grosbeak, hairstreak, halfbeak, houseleek, Late Greek, midweek, misspeak, muzhik, mystique, newspeak, nonpeak, off-peak, outspeak, perique, physique, pip-squeak, pratique, technic, technique, Tajik, unique, unspeak, workweek