What does "oblique" mean?
An oblique line.
Oblique
/oʊˈbliːk/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An oblique line.
- Grammar: oblique is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abdominal external oblique muscle, across, allusive, ambagious.
- Useful contrasts: opaque, direct, direct relationship.
- Usage evidence: The internal oblique muscle is located beneath the external oblique muscle in the abdominal region of the body.
How to use "oblique"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "oblique" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "oblique" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "oblique" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "oblique" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "oblique" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abdominal external oblique muscle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "oblique", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An oblique line.
- 2 a diagonally arranged abdominal muscle on either side of the torso wordnet
- 3 Synonym of slash ⟨/⟩.
"Initial inquiries among professional typists uncover names like slant, slant line, slash, and slash mark. Examination of typing instruction manuals discloses additional names such as diagonal and diagonal mark, and other sources provide the designation oblique."
- 4 any grammatical case other than the nominative wordnet
- 5 The oblique case.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The musculus obliquus externus abdominis or also obliquus internus abdominis.
Verb
- 1 To deviate from a perpendicular line; to become askew. intransitive
"he sat upon the edge of his chair […] and achieved a communication with his plate by projecting his person towards it in a line which obliqued from the bottom of his spine"
- 2 To march in a direction oblique to the line of the column or platoon; — formerly accomplished by oblique steps, now by direct steps, the men half-facing either to the right or left.
- 3 To slant (text, etc.) at an angle. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base.
"Italic fonts are sometimes described as oblique in typographic terminology."
- 2 Not straightforward; indirect; by implication; (sometimes even) obscure, ambiguous, or confusing.
"The email from HR obliquely informed her that some complaints about her had been received."
- 3 Disingenuous; underhand; morally corrupt.
"For the love we bear our friends, / Tho nere so strongly grounded, / Hath in it certain oblique ends / If to the bottome sounded"
- 4 Not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral.
"His natural affection in a direct line was strong; in an oblique, but weak; for no man ever loved Children more, or a Brother less."
- 5 Having the base of the blade asymmetrical, with one side lower than the other.
"Leaves long, lanceolate, tapering upward from the middle to an acute point, […] secondaries very oblique, distinct, alternate, parallel, curved in transversing the blade"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Growing at an angle that is neither vertical nor horizontal.
"Oblique and sinker roots will normally be under a greater compression stress than lateral roots."
- 7 Pertaining to the oblique case (non-nominative).
- 8 Indirect; employing the actual words of the speaker but as related by a third person, having the first person in pronoun and verb converted into the third person and adverbs of present time into the past, etc.
"They found out obliquely that she had heard from HR about the comments and was taking some time to absorb the sting of an implied reprimand."
- 9 Employing oblique motion, motion or progression in which one part (voice) stays on the same note while another ascends or descends.
"In passing from the minor third to unison, the motion ought to be oblique, but from the major third to unison the motion ought to be similar"
Adjective
- 1 indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading wordnet
- 2 slanting or inclined in direction or course or position — neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The internal oblique muscle is located beneath the external oblique muscle in the abdominal region of the body."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "oblique"?
Common synonyms include: abdominal external oblique muscle, across, allusive, ambagious, angle, angle off.
How do you use "oblique" in a sentence?
The internal oblique muscle is located beneath the external oblique muscle in the abdominal region of the body.
How do you pronounce "oblique"?
Pronounced /oʊˈbliːk/.
Etymology
From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).