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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tangent
Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
EW.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Critics, however, often take issue with unusual, and sometimes bizarre, tangents during public remarks.
—Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Noun
This imaginary friend guides him through the tangent universe, encourages him to commit a series of crimes, and ends up triggering a chain of supernatural events.
—Anatola Araba, ELLE, 1 Sep. 2022
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Adjective
Controversial former cohost Meghan McCain recently went on a tangent about Markle following the release of the first trailer for Markle's Netflix lifestyle docuseries.
—EW.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Critics, however, often take issue with unusual, and sometimes bizarre, tangents during public remarks.
—Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
-
As an aside, what few parties have tried is building a hyper-local newsroom on a shoestring budget, tying it to a mobile phone app, and charging subscribers very low prices for getting all the tea about what’s happening in their neighborhoods.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
Wolodarsky’s voice has such a wallflower quality to it, apt for Kylie, whose asides are barely acknowledged half the time.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
Often small details are inflated to comedic levels but prove tangential to the episode.—
Matt Shaw,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
At times, Pinho includes dry scenes where tangential characters address the camera with historical facts.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
Some might even ask if the demand for flat prices is an implicit acknowledgement of the error, but that’s a digression.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
But that’s a digression, and one imaging rationality about a tax code that screams irrationality.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Once seen as a peripheral aspect of media, voiceover is increasingly being seen as a powerful and nuanced tool for shaping narratives, forging emotional bonds, and driving civic engagement.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
That can certainly be useful and may lead to cost efficiencies, but there are many peripheral AI use cases that do not turn startups into AI companies overnight.—
Evan Renov,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
The 42nd Ward is currently subject to a late-hour liquor license moratorium, according to the area’s alderman, Brendan Reilly, and Artis had applied for an incidental liquor license along with a food license.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
3 July 2025
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The sweltering conditions were perhaps an incidental metaphor for the pressure the industry is feeling as the global luxury industry experiences a troubling slowdown.—
Alice Pfeiffer,
CNN Money,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Geography becomes irrelevant when AI handles the grunt work.—
Steven Wolfe Pereira,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
Each cancer journey is different, and others' stories can be irrelevant or trigger fears.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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