tangential

[tan-jen-shuh l] /tænˈdʒɛn ʃəl/
adjective
1.
pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent.
2.
merely touching; slightly connected:
tangential information.
3.
divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration:
tangential remarks.
4.
tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.
Also, tangental
[tan-jen-tl] /tænˈdʒɛn tl/ (Show IPA).
Origin
1620-30; tangent + -ial
Related forms
tangentiality, noun
tangentially, tangentally, adverb
nontangental, adjective
nontangential, adjective
nontangentially, adverb
untangental, adjective
untangentally, adverb
untangential, adjective
untangentially, adverb
Examples from the web for tangential
  • Warm air at ground level enters via tangential inlets around the base of the wall.
  • For an infinitesimally thin surface element, stresses are tangential as radial stresses go to zero on the surface.
  • At this point there are many offshoot discussions and tangential topics being discussed on the skeptical blogs and elsewhere.
  • The framing of arguments around tangential concepts really muddies these comments.
  • Indeed, several of the miniature portraits here are occasions for tangential reflections.
  • But they tend to view them as insufficient or tangential to the real problem.
  • It is a quite different state, a state that bears only a tangential resemblance to normal emotion.
  • The topics discussed here seem tangential to being president.
  • Radial, axial, and tangential vibration measurements were taken for this compressor.
British Dictionary definitions for tangential

tangential

/tænˈdʒɛnʃəl/
adjective
1.
of, being, relating to, or in the direction of a tangent
2.
(astronomy) Also transverse. (of velocity) in a direction perpendicular to the line of sight of a celestial object Compare radial (sense 6)
3.
of superficial relevance only; digressive
Derived Forms
tangentiality, noun
tangentially, tangentally, adverb
Word Origin and History for tangential
adj.

1620s, see tangent; figurative sense of "divergent, erratic" is from 1787. Related: Tangentially.