tangents

plural of tangent
as in asides
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

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 tangents Adeyemi has a tendency to go off on tangents about astrology, tarots, mystical energy. — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026 Johnson has this innate instinct of knowing how long to allow Shaq, Charles and Kenny to go off on tangents and when to reel them in. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026 In contrast to this, in regions dominated by shock waves, magnetic fields are orientated at tangents. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 July 2026 That's what happens when your star insults moviegoers or goes off on tangents about the characters's sexuality. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Her words prove true throughout his interview, during which Glover opens up for the first time about his life with Alzheimer's disease, often toggling between unfinished thoughts and poetic personal tangents. — Janine Rubenstein, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 Patients call from noisy environments, talk over the system, go on tangents and don't finish sentences. — Saran Siva, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 In conversation, Friedland is rapaciously curious, if slightly disorganized, prone to tangents that lead to a candidness that can verge on cringe or awkward. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026 June 21 – July 22 Wandering down conversational tangents will be especially tempting today. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangents
Noun
  • Periodically, Li injects her narrative with commentary set off in long parenthetical asides.
    — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
  • There are transcripts and asides and footnotes; references and internet memes.
    — David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • His answers to media questions this month have included digressions on the history of neckties, his two Bruce Springsteen tattoos and a FaceTime call with The Boss last week.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a strange, bewitching experiment in autobiography, in which there are no friendships or love affairs, just exquisite digressions on life-changing texts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tangents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangents. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster