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
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
Homelessness — and affordability, housing availability and myriad other issues tangential to a very visible problem in California — is among the many concerns Californians have that the bevy of gubernatorial candidates will be asked to address as the campaign for governor continues this year.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
And yet off the court, an eventful period to say the least, in several cases with a degree of Heat impact, some directly, some tangential.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Since its 2023 debut, Peacock's The Traitors has captured the zeitgeist thanks to its motley crew of actors, comedians, reality TV stars, and tangential British royalty.
—Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangential
Kathy Caprino, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Homelessness — and affordability, housing availability and myriad other issues tangential to a very visible problem in California — is among the many concerns Californians have that the bevy of gubernatorial candidates will be asked to address as the campaign for governor continues this year.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
And yet off the court, an eventful period to say the least, in several cases with a degree of Heat impact, some directly, some tangential.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Since its 2023 debut, Peacock's The Traitors has captured the zeitgeist thanks to its motley crew of actors, comedians, reality TV stars, and tangential British royalty.
—Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangential
Adjective
-
On that timescale, human intervention is irrelevant.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The filing argued that Broadnax’s lyrics were irrelevant to his case since they weren’t used during the guilt-or-innocence phase of arguments.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
-
The change added a room where prisoners are to be examined and prepped for either a standard peripheral IV, or a central line — a more invasive procedure that inserts into the internal jugular in the neck, a femoral vein in the upper thigh or a subclavian vein in the chest.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The peripheral ones may be better.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangential. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
