1
as in tangent
a departure from the subject under consideration
this may well appear to be a divagation at first, but I hope to establish the relevance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deviation
a turning away from a course or standard
a self-consciously "literary" novel that represents a major divagation from traditional narrative
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for divagation
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
-
There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Eventually, James will pass the mantle of stardom and celebrity to the 7-foot-4 deviation from the mean of NBA history.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If your departure gate is further afield, take the airport train to the second business class lounge, the lush 7,950-square-foot Al Mourjan The Garden.—
Rachel Morris,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Consider this departure the pop star’s Jenny Humphrey period.—
Calin Van Paris,
InStyle,
16 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Divagation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divagation. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
