oblique

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

adjective

1. neither perpendicular nor parallel to a given line or surface; slanting; sloping.
2. (of a solid) not having the axis perpendicular to the plane of the base.
3. diverging from a given straight line or course.
4. not straight or direct, as a course.
5. indirectly stated or expressed; not straightforward:

   oblique remarks about the candidate's honesty.

   Synonyms: covert, masked, veiled, indirect

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

   Synonyms: covert, masked, veiled, indirect

7. morally, ethically, or mentally wrong; underhand; perverse.
8. Typography. (of a letter) slanting toward the right, as a form of sans-serif, gothic, or square-serif type.
9. Rhetoric. indirect (applied to discourse in which the original words of a speaker or writer are assimilated to the language of the reporter).
10. Anatomy. pertaining to muscles running obliquely in the body as opposed to those running transversely or longitudinally.
11. Botany. having unequal sides, as a leaf.
12. 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.

13. Drafting. designating a method of projection oblique projection in which a three-dimensional object is represented by a drawing oblique drawing 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

1. Military. at an angle of 45°.

verb (used without object)

, o·bliqued, o·bliqu·ing.

1. Military. to change direction obliquely.

noun

1. something that is oblique.
2. Grammar. an oblique case.
3. Anatomy. any of several oblique muscles, especially in the walls of the abdomen.

oblique

/ əˈbliːk /

adjective

1. at an angle; slanting; sloping
2. geometry
   1. (of lines, planes, etc) neither perpendicular nor parallel to one another or to another line, plane, etc
   2. not related to or containing a right angle
3. indirect or evasive
4. grammar denoting any case of nouns, pronouns, etc, other than the nominative and vocative
5. biology having asymmetrical sides or planes

   an oblique leaf

6. (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

1. something oblique, esp a line
2. another name for solidus
3. nautical the act of changing course by less than 90°
4. an aerial photograph taken at an oblique angle

verb

1. to take or have an oblique direction
2. (of a military formation) to move forward at an angle

Derived Forms

• oˈbliqueness, noun
• oˈbliquely, adverb

Other Words From

• o·bliqueness noun
• subo·blique adjective
• subo·bliquely adverb
• subo·bliqueness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oblique¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English oblike, from Latin oblīquus “slanting,” of uncertain origin; perhaps ob- ob- + a second element perhaps akin to licinus “bent, turned upward” or līmus “askew, aslant” ( limb )

Word History and Origins

Origin of oblique¹

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

Example Sentences

To target your obliques—the muscles on the sides of your stomach—slide your knee into your chest diagonally.

From Outside Online

The wait for assistance for a taxed bullpen, meanwhile, ended when Wander Suero was reinstated from the injured list following a left oblique strain.

From Washington Post

Likewise, while it seems imbedded with symbolism that is keyed to deeply personal associations from its creators – much like the work of David Lynch – those symbols are at once too ordinary and too oblique to make us care.

From Washington Blade

Satellites can only peer down on smoke plumes from above or from oblique angles, and their payload is limited to lighter instruments.

From Popular-Science

That said, the season seven writers never quite figured out how to hit the oblique angles in their relationship the way Sherman-Palladino did — the insults inside the compliments, the declarations of love inside the insults.

From Vox

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

From The Daily Beast

The Playlist, on the other hand, called it “too oblique, too delighted with itself, and frankly, too dull to admire…much.”

From The Daily Beast

An oblique view of baseball full of hijinks, havoc, and humor, this is fandom to the extreme.

From The Daily Beast

The historical event, however, serves as an oblique background for the novel.

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

Even the hardy Mohammedan was haggard and spent, and his oblique eyes glowed like the red embers of a dying fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Even the light eyes seemed to have grown slightly oblique; the voice, the unimpassioned greeting, were those of a son of Cathay.

From Project Gutenberg

Testa minuta oblique conica tenuis pellucida linea albida opaca et fasciis coccineis ornata, anfractibus valde convexis.

From Project Gutenberg

Like the beams of the winter sun which have little warmth in them, the line of our vision is somewhat oblique.

From Project Gutenberg

In the Ordish system a certain number of intermediate points in the span are supported by oblique chains, on which girders rest.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• backhanded
• vague