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
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
Chinese President Xi Jinping also weighed in Wednesday, albeit obliquely, making a brief reference to the Taiwan situation in an annual New Year’s Eve speech to the nation.
—Ted Anthony, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
Co-written by Topchugul Shaidullayeva, the delicate drama channels a kind of unfussy and serene clarity that obliquely brings to mind the films of Edward Yang and Yasujiro Ozu.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Whereas the play only obliquely references the character’s successful new novel, this version presents Eileen’s manuscript — co-written with her mousy lover Thea (Imogen Potts), a former schoolmate of Hedda’s — as a revelatory treatise on the future of human sexuality.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
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
Chinese President Xi Jinping also weighed in Wednesday, albeit obliquely, making a brief reference to the Taiwan situation in an annual New Year’s Eve speech to the nation.
—Ted Anthony, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
Co-written by Topchugul Shaidullayeva, the delicate drama channels a kind of unfussy and serene clarity that obliquely brings to mind the films of Edward Yang and Yasujiro Ozu.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Whereas the play only obliquely references the character’s successful new novel, this version presents Eileen’s manuscript — co-written with her mousy lover Thea (Imogen Potts), a former schoolmate of Hedda’s — as a revelatory treatise on the future of human sexuality.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliquely
diagonally
Adverb
-
One of them wore a dress with what looked like a clipping of a poster placed diagonally across her dress like a Miss Universe sash.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of allover stripes, expect to see razor-thin metallic stripes (like the barcode nail trend coming out of South Korea), curved bands that arc diagonally across a sheer base, or contrasting matte and gloss stripes layered in the same shade for a barely-there effect.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliquely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliquely. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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