as in aside
a departure from the subject under consideration
in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in tangential
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangent
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
Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
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
Adjective
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
-
Aside from his messages of unity and urging people watching at home to never second-guess themselves, Bad Bunny also shared other asides in Spanish throughout the halftime show.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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Trump’s asides generate more media attention than his defense of his economic record.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Not a single line of dialogue feels unnecessary, or a subplot tangential.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
And studies show that maintaining even a small set of meaningful professional relationships has a stronger impact on career opportunities than amassing hundreds of weak or tangential connections.—
Kathy Caprino,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Yarvin tends to extreme digression, while Land speaks with the allusive compression of a guru.—
James Duesterberg,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Her erudite digressions and granular readings add up to a kind of literary procedural.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Miller says the company has forged partnerships with tech giant Microsoft and Logitech, a Swiss maker of peripheral computer products like keyboards, headphones, and mice, to better understand how AI is changing work and what workspaces employees will need to support their new responsibilities.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Italy has traditionally oscillated between European leadership and peripheral frustration.—
Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Income is incidental to stewardship, not the objective.—
Malana VanTyler,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
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One minute of incidental vigorous activity prevents premature deaths, heart attacks or strokes as well as about three minutes of moderate activity or 35 to 49 minutes of light activity.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That's almost irrelevant, though, LaFrance adds.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
An education is practically irrelevant.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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