oblique

1 of 3

adjective

ō-ˈblēk 

ə-,

-ˈblīk;

military usually

-ˈblīk 

1

a

: neither perpendicular nor parallel : inclined

oblique lines

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

In her speech she made only oblique references to the scandal.

also : obscure

… much of what there is to see is nuanced and oblique—a shadow of a shadow of a shadow.

—New Yorker

b

: devious, underhanded

… the open, above-board fury of his mind coagulated, thickened, and sunk to a dull, evil hatred, a wicked, oblique malevolence.

—Frank Norris

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

obliquely adverb

obliqueness noun

oblique

2 of 3

noun

1

: something (such as a line) that is oblique

2

or oblique muscle : any of several oblique muscles

especially : any of the thin flat muscles forming the middle and outer layers of the lateral walls of the abdomen

oblique

3 of 3

adverb

: at a 45 degree angle

To the right oblique, march!

Synonyms

Adjective

• uneven
• tilted
• crooked

Examples of oblique in a Sentence

Adjective

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

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

The short lines of the letter “k” are oblique lines.

gave the eavesdropper an oblique glance out of the corner of her eye

Noun

We each received a list of every muscle group (back, inner thighs, outer thighs, quads, biceps, obliques, upper abs, etc.), with detailed comments on which ones we needed to change. —anonymous, Cosmopolitan, November 2007

He hammered on my back with both fists, but I had a lot of muscle layer to protect back there. Twenty years of working on the lats and the lateral obliques. I got hold of his shirtfront with both hands and pulled him away from the wall and slammed him back up against it. —Robert B. Parker, Mortal Stakes, 1975

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Zack Steffen made his return to action after an oblique injury in mid-May took him off the field before a knee injury at U.S. Men’s National Team camp required surgery. —Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 13 July 2025

Luis Gil, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, hasn’t pitched this season due to a right lat strain, and the Yankees are awaiting Ryan Yarbrough’s return from an oblique strain. —Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 12 July 2025

Noun

Internal and external obliques: The obliques are located on the sides of your abdomen. —Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 5 June 2025

Mendoza said his 6-8 weeks for a return to action, but obliques are sensitive enough that setbacks occur relatively often. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English oblique, oblike, borrowed from Anglo-French oblic, oblique, borrowed from Latin oblīquus "slanting, transverse," from ob- "against, facing" + -līquus, of uncertain meaning and origin — more at ob-

Noun

derivative of oblique entry 1

Adverb

derivative of oblique entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1687, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing oblique

• oblique angle
• oblique case
• oblique muscle

Rhymes for oblique

• antique
• batik
• bespeak
• boutique
• cacique
• comique
• critique
• grosbeak
• midweek
• mystique
• physique
• pratique

Kids Definition

oblique

adjective

ō-ˈblēk,

ə-,

-ˈblīk

1

: having a slanting direction or position : neither perpendicular nor parallel

2

: having the axis not perpendicular to the base

an oblique cone

3

: having no right angle

an oblique triangle

4

a

: not straightforward or direct

b

: devious

obliquely adverb

obliqueness noun

Medical Definition

oblique

1 of 2 adjective

ō-ˈblēk  ə- 

-ˈblīk

1

: neither perpendicular nor parallel : being on an incline

2

: situated obliquely and having one end not inserted on bone

oblique muscles

obliquely adverb

oblique

2 of 2 noun

variants or oblique muscle

: any of several oblique muscles: as

a

: either of two flat muscles on each side that form the middle and outer layers of the lateral walls of the abdomen, that have aponeuroses extending medially to ensheathe the rectus muscles and fusing in the midventral line in the linea alba, and that act to compress the abdominal contents and to assist in expelling the contents of various visceral organs (as in urination, defecation, parturition, and expiration):

(1)

: one that forms the outer layer of the lateral abdominal wall

called also external oblique, obliquus externus, obliquus externus abdominis

(2)

: one situated under the external oblique in the lateral and ventral part of the abdominal wall

called also internal oblique, obliquus internus, obliquus internus abdominis

b(1)

: a long thin extraocular muscle that arises just above the margin of the optic foramen, is inserted on the upper part of the eyeball, and moves the eye downward and laterally

called also superior oblique, obliquus superior oculi

(2)

: a short extraocular muscle that arises from the orbital surface of the maxilla, is inserted slightly in front of and below the superior oblique, and moves the eye upward and laterally

called also inferior oblique, obliquus inferior oculi

c(1)

: a muscle that arises from the superior surface of the transverse process of the atlas, passes medially upward to insert into the occipital bone, and functions to extend the head and bend it to the side

called also obliquus capitis superior, obliquus superior

(2)

: a muscle that arises from the apex of the spinous process of the axis, inserts into the transverse process of the atlas, and rotates the atlas turning the face in the same direction

called also obliquus capitis inferior, obliquus inferior