Tangential: meaning, example and synonyms
Tangentialadj. Only slightly connected to the main subject; peripheral or digressive.
Example
Although the lecturer's remarks about medieval cooking were entertaining, they were tangential to her argument about the economics of the spice trade.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- peripheral, digressive, incidental, irrelevant
- Antonyms
- central, pertinent, relevant, essential
- Memory tip
- A TANGENT line only touches the circle at one point, then wanders off.
Tangential is in batch 19. Study it with the rest of the batch, then pass the batch quiz to learn it. No account needed; progress is saved on this device.
Check yourself: Tangential in context
The committee asked the speaker to stay on topic, since his long story about his grandfather's farm was ______ to the question of water rights under discussion.
Answer: tangential. A story only loosely related to the topic is tangential, which is why he was asked to stay on topic. seismic (enormous in impact), endemic (native to one place) and pseudonymous (under a false name) don't fit this context.
In her review, the critic praised the novel's central plot but complained that several ______ subplots distracted from the main story without advancing it.
Answer: tangential. Subplots that wander from the main story without advancing it are tangential. indefatigable (tireless), pseudonymous (under a false name) and endemic (native to one place) don't fit this context.