oblique

[ uh-bleek, oh-bleek; Military uh-blahyk, oh-blahyk ]

/ əˈblik, oʊˈblik; Military əˈblaɪk, oʊˈblaɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR oblique ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

neither perpendicular nor parallel to a given line or surface; slanting; sloping.

(of a solid) not having the axis perpendicular to the plane of the base.

diverging from a given straight line or course.

not straight or direct, as a course.

indirectly stated or expressed; not straightforward: oblique remarks about the candidate's honesty.

indirectly aimed at or reached, as ends or results; deviously achieved.

morally, ethically, or mentally wrong; underhand; perverse.

Typography. (of a letter) slanting toward the right, as a form of sans-serif, gothic, or square-serif type.

Rhetoric. indirect (applied to discourse in which the original words of a speaker or writer are assimilated to the language of the reporter).

Anatomy. pertaining to muscles running obliquely in the body as opposed to those running transversely or longitudinally.

Botany. having unequal sides, as a leaf.

Grammar. noting or pertaining to any case of noun inflection except nominative and vocative: Latin genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative cases are said to be oblique.

Drafting. designating a method of projection (oblique projection) in which a three-dimensional object is represented by a drawing (oblique drawing) in which the face, usually parallel to the picture plane, is represented in accurate or exact proportion, and all other faces are shown at any convenient angle other than 90°. Compare axonometric, cabinet(def 19), isometric(def 5).

adverb

Military. at an angle of 45°.

verb (used without object), o·bliqued, o·bliqu·ing.

Military. to change direction obliquely.

noun

something that is oblique.

Grammar. an oblique case.

Anatomy. any of several oblique muscles, especially in the walls of the abdomen.

Origin of oblique

1400–50; late Middle English oblike < Latin oblīquus slanting; see ob- (second element obscure)

SYNONYMS FOR oblique

5, 6 indirect, veiled, masked, covert.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR oblique ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM oblique

o·blique·ness, noun sub·o·blique, adjective sub·o·blique·ly, adverb sub·o·blique·ness, noun

Words nearby oblique

oblige, obligee, obligement, obliging, obligor, oblique, oblique angle, oblique circular cone, oblique circular cylinder, oblique coordinates, oblique diameter

Example sentences from the Web for oblique

The definition of “innuendo,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “an oblique allusion.”

Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004 |Marlow Stern |November 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Playlist, on the other hand, called it “too oblique, too delighted with itself, and frankly, too dull to admire…much.”

Josh Charles on Life After ‘The Good Wife’ and His Insane Movie ‘Bird People’ |Kevin Fallon |September 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
An oblique view of baseball full of hijinks, havoc, and humor, this is fandom to the extreme.

Home Runs, Frozen Ropes, And Some Wild Cards In Best Baseball Books |Robert Birnbaum |April 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The historical event, however, serves as an oblique background for the novel.

Yiyun Li Takes on Evil in “Kinder Than Solitude” |Jane Ciabattari |February 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The columns are frequently laced with oblique references to her family.

Pippa and The Middletons Face New 'Cashing-In' Allegations |Tom Sykes |December 4, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
I have applied this term to the oblique descent made by the umbo, towards the basal extremity of the anterior side of bivalves.

Zoological Illustrations, Volume III |William Swainson
The rain pours down without stay in oblique long lines, the light is quickly failing, the street is sad and very cheerless.

The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia |William Somerset Maugham
In every other spot the fire must necessarily be oblique, which would seriously militate against the success of the experiment.

From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: and a Trip Round It |Jules Verne
It is only in a too literal spirit that one will find an oblique meaning,—by too great readiness to discover it.

Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies |Philip H. Goepp
These consist of four straight muscles, two oblique, and one retractor.

Special Report on Diseases of the Horse |United States Department of Agriculture

British Dictionary definitions for oblique

oblique

/ (əˈbliːk) /

adjective

at an angle; slanting; sloping

geometry

(of lines, planes, etc) neither perpendicular nor parallel to one another or to another line, plane, etc
not related to or containing a right angle

indirect or evasive

grammar denoting any case of nouns, pronouns, etc, other than the nominative and vocative

biology having asymmetrical sides or planes an oblique leaf

(of a map projection) constituting a type of zenithal projection in which the plane of projection is tangential to the earth's surface at some point between the equator and the poles

noun

something oblique, esp a line

another name for solidus (def. 1)

nautical the act of changing course by less than 90°

an aerial photograph taken at an oblique angle

verb (intr)

to take or have an oblique direction

(of a military formation) to move forward at an angle

Derived forms of oblique

obliquely, adverb obliqueness, noun

Word Origin for oblique

C15: from Old French, from Latin oblīquus, of obscure origin

Medical definitions for oblique

oblique

[ ō-blēk′, ə-blēk′ ]

adj.

Situated in a slanting position; not transverse or longitudinal.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

oblique

adjective

adverb

verb (used without object), o·bliqued, o·bliqu·ing.

noun

Origin of oblique

SYNONYMS FOR oblique

OTHER WORDS FROM oblique

Words nearby oblique

Example sentences from the Web for oblique

British Dictionary definitions for oblique

adjective

noun

verb (intr)

Derived forms of oblique

Word Origin for oblique

Medical definitions for oblique

adj.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

oblique

adjective

adverb

verb (used without object), o·bliqued, o·bliqu·ing.

noun

Origin of oblique

SYNONYMS FOR oblique

OTHER WORDS FROM oblique

Words nearby oblique

Words related to oblique

Example sentences from the Web for oblique

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for oblique

adjective

noun

verb (intr)

Derived forms of oblique

Word Origin for oblique

Medical definitions for oblique

adj.

British Dictionary definitions for oblique