divagation

Definition of divagationnext
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
  • This tangent line is called the Lie algebra.
    Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 3 Dec. 2025
  • While O’Farrell spends story real estate on imagining how the plague germs traveled the Mediterranean into Warwickshire and Zhao smartly cuts that tangent, maybe the biggest omission is one O’Farrell also doesn’t directly show in the novel either.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This followed a dizzying number of deviations by Greene from the party line, dating back to early summer—foremost were her very public calls for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
    Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
  • The Ramona Community Planning Group on May 1 unanimously approved a minor deviation that allows changes to Spirit of Joy’s original major use permit for their church project at the site, which fell through in 2021.
    Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • So many questions remain unanswered about his messy departure from Nottingham Forest in September last year.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • If time permits, lock your home upon departure and disconnect utilities and appliances.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Divagation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divagation. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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