TANGENTIAL Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

tangential

adjective

Definition of tangential

as in irrelevant

having little to do with the matter at hand Your point is tangential to the main objective of this meeting so please save it for later.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 tangential Both that experience and his tangential involvement in the Amanda-West drama has affected his priorities going into the upcoming season, both in his love life and his friendships. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Other undisclosed connections are more tangential. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 15 June 2026 The Houthis made a similar threat during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and killed at least nine mariners and sank four ships in over 100 attacks, often targeting vessels with tangential or no ties to Israel. — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026 There have been a few tangential PigPen sightings in the state before now. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for tangential

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangential

Adjective

No one explicitly bans caffeine or alcohol, but after days of obsessing over my biomarkers, both begin to seem entirely irrelevant.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Exceptions whose labor powers one of the most profitable storytelling machines in the world, while their mental needs are treated as inconvenient or irrelevant.

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of irrelevant

Adjective

That means mathematicians can approximate these rotations with a straight line that touches the circle at just one point — a tangent line.

— Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 3 Dec. 2025
The slope, or steepness, of the tangent line measures how quickly the function is changing at that point.

— Solomon Adams, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2025

Definition of tangent

Adjective

Vanderbosch recommends picking a patch of sky to focus on until a quick, bright streak passes by — even in your peripheral vision — and to avoid looking at your phone.

— Adithi Ramakrishnan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Even in the third-person narration of Call of the Wild the dramatis personae of eccentric, infighting dogs overshadows the flat and peripheral human characters until Thornton appears.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of peripheral

Browse Nearby Words

tangent

tangential

tangentially

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Tangential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangential. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of tangential

adjective

Example Sentences

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