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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangential
And some seemingly tangential issues aren’t so tangential after all.
—
Kevin Williams, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2025
Indeed, Buchwald won; the suit was famous in Hollywood circles regarding a tangential issue, namely laying bare the industry accounting practices that kept even wildly successful films from ever making a profit on paper.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Much like Kiryu's spy caper, Pirate Yakuza takes what would be tangential in the main series — a whacky combat arena — and centers a plot around it.
—James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
On the page, a sequence in which Zoe and Kathryn have a testy session might read as tangential, even if the dialogue sings.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangential
Kevin Williams, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2025
Indeed, Buchwald won; the suit was famous in Hollywood circles regarding a tangential issue, namely laying bare the industry accounting practices that kept even wildly successful films from ever making a profit on paper.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Much like Kiryu's spy caper, Pirate Yakuza takes what would be tangential in the main series — a whacky combat arena — and centers a plot around it.
—James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
On the page, a sequence in which Zoe and Kathryn have a testy session might read as tangential, even if the dialogue sings.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangential
Adjective
-
The most dangerous founders secretly fear becoming irrelevant in their own creation.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
The short movie for spring — whose title is being kept under wraps until the screening — is set on a ferry boat trip, its destination unknown and irrelevant, Magliano added.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The slope, or steepness, of the tangent line measures how quickly the function is changing at that point.—
Solomon Adams,
WIRED,
23 Feb. 2025
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By 1643, René Descartes had discovered a simple relationship between the curvatures of any four circles that are tangent to each other.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Aug. 2023
Adjective
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As a result, the team has fielded some calls about trading away a peripheral option.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
-
He’s been lucky so far, but even the peripheral stats still show a decent pitcher.—
Owen Poindexter,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tangential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangential. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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