oblique

adjective

ō-ˈblēk How to pronounce oblique (audio)
Definition of obliquenext
1
as in tilted
inclined or twisted to one side gave the eavesdropper an oblique glance out of the corner of her eye

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sloping
running in a slanting direction in the painting the artist repeats the oblique line of the path with the oblique line of the outstretched arm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of oblique The Lakers were without new guard Collin Sexton (calf) and first-round pick Cameron Carr (oblique), and swingman Jake LaRavia left the court limping in the fourth quarter. — CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 At best, the invitation to become a white-leader draws an oblique link between white paint and the discourse of racial discrimination. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 Their interactions with humans involve fatal illness and possibly parasitism, but the details are scant and oblique. — Dave Kim, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026 The San Francisco 49ers are unsure when Mike Evans will be back after leaving Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals with what Kyle Shanahan said is a rib or oblique injury. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oblique
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oblique
  1. tilted
  2. sloping
  3. uneven
  4. diagonal
  5. crooked
  6. sloped
Adjective
  • Carl lowers his head like a hitter hit by a pitch, then rouses himself and breaks into a stiff, elderly trot, shooting a salute over at whoever’s inside the tilted little guard hut.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The tilted surfaces were mostly chosen to mimic raindrops in the real world.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of tilted
Adjective
  • The room itself is a typical loft bedroom, with a double bed and a low sloping ceiling.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Gates open to a sloping, 700-foot-long driveway that passes by whimsical sculptures before arriving at a spacious cobblestone motor court.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of sloping
Adjective
  • Researchers also trained its walking system on flat ground, so navigating stairs and uneven surfaces remains a challenge.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Uneven growth Yet, the allocation of venture funding remains hugely uneven within Asia.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of uneven
Adjective
  • The Xreal Aura has one of the widest fields of view for transparent glasses yet at 70 degrees diagonal, but that’s still not huge, and transparent glasses have other tradeoffs.
    — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2026
  • West was wearing a green jacket with an interesting diagonal zipper and a still-functional denim skirt over a bright-purple unitard.
    — Nolan Kelly, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of diagonal
Adjective
  • The wings were awkward and ugly, tipped with crooked, writhing little hands, the outstretched skin loose and shivering between its fingers.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • When a job goes wrong and Viktor is seriously hurt, Malina cuts a deal with a crooked doctor.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • The magic is in its sloped sides, a departure from the classic skillet’s 90-degree angles.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Following their 1967 nuptials, Elvis and Priscilla spent their honeymoon in Palm Springs at William Krisel’s House of Tomorrow, a 4,695-square-foot modernist abode sectioned off into four circular spaces under a long, sloped roof.
    — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of sloped

Browse Nearby Words

obligingness
oblique
obliquely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oblique.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oblique. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All