as in tangents
a departure from the subject under consideration
as an aside, something similar happened to me years ago
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Recent Examples of asides
Trump’s asides generate more media attention than his defense of his economic record.
—
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
Her wacky asides, undergirded by a subtle poignancy, both gave Guffman a zany edge and helped transform the mockumentary genre itself.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
That context is probably enough to appreciate some of the film’s most delightful asides, such as a profile of the man behind GumBusters — a business that power blasts old gum off the streets of NYC — and a brief aside into the temporary venues that host Wilson’s favorite DIY noise shows.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Like so many of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock‘s comedies, including 30 Rock, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins doesn’t start with full confidence in its overall voice or characters, settling to get most of its laughs from familiar cutaways and asides.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
The president tried to drive that home on Tuesday, but only amid lengthy asides.
—Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Twichell has written often about her practice of Zen Buddhism, and one of her rare asides, offered after a particularly sad poem, had the feeling of ancient wisdom.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2025
The goal of those short asides and carefully seeded comments is to allow Nanjiani to outline a self-portrait.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Illness here is not explicitly seen, so much as felt in echoes and ripples, just as the disaster in To the Lighthouse is never depicted directly save for these brief asides.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
Her wacky asides, undergirded by a subtle poignancy, both gave Guffman a zany edge and helped transform the mockumentary genre itself.
—Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
That context is probably enough to appreciate some of the film’s most delightful asides, such as a profile of the man behind GumBusters — a business that power blasts old gum off the streets of NYC — and a brief aside into the temporary venues that host Wilson’s favorite DIY noise shows.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Like so many of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock‘s comedies, including 30 Rock, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins doesn’t start with full confidence in its overall voice or characters, settling to get most of its laughs from familiar cutaways and asides.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Jan. 2026
The president tried to drive that home on Tuesday, but only amid lengthy asides.
—Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Twichell has written often about her practice of Zen Buddhism, and one of her rare asides, offered after a particularly sad poem, had the feeling of ancient wisdom.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2025
The goal of those short asides and carefully seeded comments is to allow Nanjiani to outline a self-portrait.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Illness here is not explicitly seen, so much as felt in echoes and ripples, just as the disaster in To the Lighthouse is never depicted directly save for these brief asides.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asides
Noun
-
The conversation is lively, with people often chatting over each other and going on tangents.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
-
All in all, the show tackles a thoughtful premise — even two people speaking the same linguistic language will need their thoughts translated — and almost got it right but took a couple of tangents after the halfway mark.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The plot takes quite a few wild digressions on our heroes’ way to meeting Hamm (who also gives an excellent performance as himself).—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The conversation has been necessarily condensed for clarity and to take out vast numbers of further digressions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asides.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asides. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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