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tangent

[tan-juhnt] / ˈtæn dʒənt /
ADJECTIVE
touching
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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After the reflecting pool tangent, Trump signed executive orders on US customs and protections for civil servants.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Reflecting that quirky organization, the book ends on tangent rather than a big wrap-up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

"Some of them will run straight, some of them will not start at all, some of them will go off on a tangent or bite each other," she explained.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2025

Lakers coach JJ Redick went on a bit of a tangent last month about how an overly critical media might be partly responsible for a decline in NBA ratings this season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2025

A tangent is a line that just kisses a curve.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

They go on tangents about Palmer introducing Whitehall to the 1997 film “Soul Food,” which Whitehall proceeded to reference on set.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2026

The tangents, the idiosyncrasies of the hosts and the glimpses of private life leave listeners feeling connected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

His segments include references to scandals from the Clinton era, tangents about the workings of the American Bar Association, and detailed breakdowns of the electoral politics of individual states.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2025

A dilettante prone to colorful tangents, he sees Molly as an object of fascination and a personal cause.

From New York Times ● May 29, 2024

She smoked and talked and ate for an hour without stopping, and I scribbled in my notebook as the muddy waters of tangents and cosines began to clarify.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green




Vocabulary lists containing tangent


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