tangential
/tanˈdʒɛnʃ(ə)l
/adjective
1Relating to or along a tangent: a tangential line...
- If you are located near the very edge of the eclipse track the apparent disks of the Sun and the Moon glide along the same tangential line.
- Second, we have examined perturbations in a normal rather than a tangential direction along the limit cycle.
- His work used a special coordinate system on a surface such as isothermic and tangential coordinates.
2Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic: tangential thoughts...
- He generally relates the story in chronological fashion, but, like many storytellers, he often stops to present tangential information about a new character or situation.
- I don't have any suggestions for places, but thought I'd offer some tangential information: there are all kinds of prenatal massages, so make sure you get all the info beforehand.
- Barreto did a fair job of explaining the process of making this movie, but he often got sidetracked onto more tangential anecdotes.
2.1Hardly touching a matter; peripheral: the reforms were tangential to efforts to maintain a basic standard of life...
- These are all important matters but they are tangential to the most central objectives of school education, namely teaching and learning.
- He makes the case for the artist as the most influential post-war musical artist, certainly more so than Elvis, who was influential for reasons tangential to the actual music.
- Though tangential to the main thesis, this book also serves as an excellent briefing for the general reader on the often uninspiring and sometimes off-putting technical language of the financial world.
