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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangent
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
At this point, the joke veers into tangents.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
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
The Story Behind Gomez’s AirDrop Name In one of the episode’s more amusing tangents, Gomez shared the story behind her iPhone’s AirDrop name.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
At this point, the joke veers into tangents.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
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
-
Elizabeth continues to be an infuriating character, interrupting with rude and unhelpful asides throughout the entire family meeting, casually gnawing on an orange slice as Greg and Katie have a heart-to-heart across the table.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
-
As an aside, look up the credentials of the influencer.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the coming months, the police remained tight-lipped about their investigation, with updates often emerging in tangential court documents.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
-
And though Russia is playing only a tangential role in the crisis there, Moscow could emerge as one of the victors of war.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The prose is hypnotic, all the more so for its many digressions and parentheses, unveiling tiny set pieces like so many Fabergé eggs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
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Hunt and his director, Ashley Rodbro, build in some visual variety, whether that means screening one of Hunt’s public access sketches, cringy, or a digression into a lighting design demo, a nod to Hunt’s Illinois State degree in lighting design (and acting).—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This is important because these are not peripheral software tasks.—
Karl Freund,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
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While the camera is locked into Dua’s perspective, the world outside her peripheral vision changes radically in ways we aren’t allowed to see; the corner of the frame practically become a venue from which to intuit horrors.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
11 May 2026
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What is clear, however, is that the aye-aye’s comical assortment of features definitely isn’t incidental.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Without it, the risk isn’t lagging behind but becoming irrelevant.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
And Thursday night’s performance, while not wholly irrelevant, was just another television rerun broadcast to a less-than-mass audience.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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