oblique

adjective \ ō-ˈblēk , ə- , -ˈblīk ; military usually -ˈblīk \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Examples: oblique in a Sentence

Definition of oblique

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

See oblique defined for English-language learners

See oblique defined for kids

Examples of oblique in a Sentence

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
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

Recent Examples of oblique from the Web

Left-hander Wade Miley came off a two-month stay on the disabled list with an oblique strain to pitch in the majors for the first time since May 8, and his main issue was walking batters and pitching to No. 8 hitter Jordy Mercer.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pirates 6, Brewers 3: A long stretch of games and an early-morning arrival lead to a rough loss," 12 July 2018
The outing provided a bit of relief for the Royals, who just placed starting pitcher Ian Kennedy back on the disabled list because of a left oblique strain.

— maria torres, kansascity, "The Royals’ rotation is falling apart. They may have found hope in another Rule 5 get," 11 July 2018
The Dodgers recalled Toles after putting Yasiel Puig on the disabled list because of an oblique strain.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers put Yasiel Puig on the disabled list, call up Andrew Toles," 10 July 2018
Relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak, 32, missed two months with an oblique strain and entered the day with a 6.46 earned run average.

— james wagner, New York Times, "Todd Frazier Heads for Second Stint on the Disabled List," 9 July 2018
Ray will make his first start back from a right oblique strain, his first major-league appearance since April 29.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Preview: Diamondbacks at Marlins, Wednesday, 7:10 p.m.," 26 June 2018
Morrow probably wasn’t aware of the Cubs’ bizarre history of injuries, which included Sammy Sosa famously sneezing his way onto the disabled list in 2004, suffering an oblique injury with a ginormous sneeze in the clubhouse in San Diego.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Brandon Morrow not fretting over people mocking his back injury," 20 June 2018
Wil Myers, on the DL with a back and oblique strain, continues to take batting practice in Peoria.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres notes: Spangenberg's quick fix; Cordoba's return; Hedges-Paddack battery," 12 June 2018
After exiting his last start with an oblique injury, Forrest Whitley will be placed on the minor league disabled list, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' prospect Forrest Whitley headed to disabled list," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oblique.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of oblique

Middle English oblike, from Latin obliquus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

oblique Synonyms

Phrases

out of plumb (or off plumb);

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

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

oblique

noun \ ō-ˈblēk , ə- , -ˈblīk ; military usually -ˈblīk \

Definition of oblique

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

See oblique defined for English-language learners

Examples of oblique in a Sentence

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 of oblique from the Web

Because the obliques come into play to some extent in almost everything a person does, even breathing, injuries tend to linger.

— dave kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "What's an oblique? Explaining the pesky strain that's keeping baseball players down," 23 Apr. 2018
Kennedy on the shelf: Right-hander Ian Kennedy, who was scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale against Cleveland, was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained left oblique.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Danny Duffy serves up slam as Royals fall to Indians, lose 60th game of season," 3 July 2018
The job of the external obliques here is to hold your lower spine in place.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "Strengthen Your Core and Shoulders With Adriana Lima's Challenging Battle Rope Plank," 13 June 2018
In addition to sculpting your butt, this move challenges your obliques and transverse abdominis, aka your waist-cinching muscles.

— NBC News, "5 simple exercises for stronger, tighter glutes," 2 May 2018
After a lot of healing, I was left with a three-finger diastasis recti and healing separations along my obliques.

— melissa dahl, The Cut, "100 Women on the Wildest Ways Their Bodies Changed After Pregnancy," 30 May 2018
In addition to the triceps work, the list of muscles working here includes rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis and internal and external obliques.

— leah prinzivalli, SELF, "This Triceps Move From Chelsea Handler's Trainer Doubles as a Killer Core Exercise," 2 May 2018
This move targets your quads, glutes, obliques and arms at once.

— NBC News, "Got 30 minutes? Try these 5 total-body compound exercises," 4 Apr. 2018
The combination move works the abs, obliques, arms, and upper body.

— leah prinzivalli, SELF, "The Bodyweight Core Move Jennifer Lopez's Trainer David Kirsch Does With His Celebrity Clients," 15 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of oblique

see ¹oblique

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1608

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

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

oblique

adverb \ ō-ˈblēk , ə- , -ˈblīk ; military usually -ˈblīk \

Definition of oblique

: at a 45 degree angle

To the right oblique, march!

Origin and Etymology of oblique

see ¹oblique

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1687

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

OBLIQUE Defined for English Language Learners

oblique

adjective

Definition of oblique for English Language Learners

: not direct : not stated directly
of a line : having a slanting direction or position : neither perpendicular nor parallel

OBLIQUE Defined for Kids

oblique

adjective \ ō-ˈblēk , ə- \

Definition of oblique for Students

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

—

obliquely

adverb

Medical Dictionary

oblique

adjective \ ō-ˈblēk , ə- , -ˈblīk \

medical Definition of oblique

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

noun

variants: or oblique muscle

medical Definition of oblique

: 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