as in aside
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
as in tangential
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangent
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
At this point, the joke veers into tangents.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Noun
The Story Behind Gomez’s AirDrop Name In one of the episode’s more amusing tangents, Gomez shared the story behind her iPhone’s AirDrop name.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
At this point, the joke veers into tangents.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
An early tangent veers into naval warfare, with various forces fighting for crucial shipping lanes.
—Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022
Austin’s former president then went on a tangent talking about Reese’s eggs, Cap’n Crunch and berries.
—Frank Pallotta, CNN, 17 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for tangent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangent
Noun
-
As an aside, look up the credentials of the influencer.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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As an aside, often responses will come in that do attempt to diagnose a medical condition or remedy based on a brief description of a problem in a letter.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the coming months, the police remained tight-lipped about their investigation, with updates often emerging in tangential court documents.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
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And though Russia is playing only a tangential role in the crisis there, Moscow could emerge as one of the victors of war.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Melville’s book includes lengthy digressions on the typology of whales; the symbolic significance of white; the existing paintings and etchings of whales; and the history of fatal encounters with whales, among other topics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Hunt and his director, Ashley Rodbro, build in some visual variety, whether that means screening one of Hunt’s public access sketches, cringy, or a digression into a lighting design demo, a nod to Hunt’s Illinois State degree in lighting design (and acting).—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The same study notes that the hormonal cascade may even dull pain by activating peripheral nerves and autonomic pathways.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Arve Henriksen’s trumpet is a celestial contrast to the vocals’ groundedness, a floater at the edge of the song’s smoky peripheral vision.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Garden stakes will help keep fabric from directly touching your plants and help create a warm air pocket around them to survive those incidental cold nights.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
An irrelevant incident in isolation.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
That made Legacy a business success well before its actual launch and ensured that any subsequent long-term player interest would be at least somewhat financially irrelevant to the companies involved.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangent. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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