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
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Recent Examples of tangential
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
Moore also worked on many causes tangential to Black nationalism, including lowering the price of milk for children and boycotting goods from Nazi Germany.
—Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangential
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
Moore also worked on many causes tangential to Black nationalism, including lowering the price of milk for children and boycotting goods from Nazi Germany.
—Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tangential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangential
Adjective
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By redrawing political lines to predetermine the outcome of House races, politicians rendered many of their voters irrelevant and obsolete.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The absolute dollar figure is irrelevant to the question.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Furthermore, since the system is compatible with peripheral tools like keyboards and mice, users can interact with the system in a familiar way.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Mar. 2026
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The offseason saw the Kings improve depth –– Joel Armia and Corey Perry have been valuable peripheral contributors while Anton Forsberg has proven a more capable backup goalie than David Rittich –– but weaken their core.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangential. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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