as in diagonally
in a line or direction running from corner to corner
the photographer has framed the shot so that the river runs obliquely through it, creating a great sense of depth for the viewer
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Recent Examples of obliquely
Bianco also obliquely referred to attacks Hilton has lobbed against the sheriff on the campaign trail.
—
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
While López-Owens refers obliquely to Sweeney Bell, the clerk's other Democratic challenger attacks directly.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026
On publication of the manuscript, the ghostwriter is typically named, albeit obliquely – perhaps identified as a friend or consultant in the acknowledgments section.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
The new president trod carefully, acknowledging only obliquely the legal end of the transatlantic slave trade in 1808.
—Regina E. Mason, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
Official Hollywood posters, especially in the Reagan years, were spurned in favor of surreal homegrown imagery, most of it only obliquely connected to the movies in question.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
In related news, drummer Josh Freese recently commented obliquely on his short stint as a Foo Fighter.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s what Lenny, a biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce, is obliquely about.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
If its absence speaks obliquely to the Dadaist disregard for aesthetic permanence, its iconography—and its iconoclastic mordancy—echoes throughout his entire corpus.
—Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
While López-Owens refers obliquely to Sweeney Bell, the clerk's other Democratic challenger attacks directly.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026
On publication of the manuscript, the ghostwriter is typically named, albeit obliquely – perhaps identified as a friend or consultant in the acknowledgments section.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
The new president trod carefully, acknowledging only obliquely the legal end of the transatlantic slave trade in 1808.
—Regina E. Mason, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
Official Hollywood posters, especially in the Reagan years, were spurned in favor of surreal homegrown imagery, most of it only obliquely connected to the movies in question.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2026
In related news, drummer Josh Freese recently commented obliquely on his short stint as a Foo Fighter.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s what Lenny, a biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce, is obliquely about.
—Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
If its absence speaks obliquely to the Dadaist disregard for aesthetic permanence, its iconography—and its iconoclastic mordancy—echoes throughout his entire corpus.
—Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliquely
diagonally
Adverb
-
However, due to manufacturing deadlines, each expansion team played its first season in a more generic jersey with the city name stitched diagonally across the front of the sweater, paying homage to the designs worn by the league’s original six teams in 2024.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
The Avs’ leading scorer fired at the Minnesota goal, caught his own rebound, stopped, turned left, and slid the puck diagonally to a hard-charging Artturi Lehkonen.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliquely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliquely. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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