oblique - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

If something is oblique, it has a slanting position or direction. In figurative use, oblique means indirect or purposely misleading. "What is two plus two?" "Fish!" as an answer is completely oblique.

In math, this adjective refers to geometric lines or planes that are not parallel or perpendicular to a line or surface. A playground is positioned at an oblique angle to the ground. By correcting the clerk's "Mrs." with "That's Ms. now," the woman made an oblique reference to her change in marital status.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: oblique

1	adj n	slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled a diagonally arranged abdominal muscle on either side of the torso
2	n	any grammatical case other than the nominative

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: oblique

1

adj slanting or inclined in direction or course or position--neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled

“the oblique rays of the winter sun”

“acute and obtuse angles are oblique angles”

“the axis of an oblique cone is not perpendicular to its base”

Synonyms: convergent
tending to come together from different directions; divergent, diverging
tending to move apart in different directions; inclined
at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position; bias
slanting diagonally across the grain of a fabric; cata-cornered, catacorner, cater-cornered, catercorner, catty-corner, catty-cornered, kitty-corner, kitty-cornered
slanted across a polygon on a diagonal line; crabwise, sideways
(of movement) at an angle; diagonal
connecting two nonadjacent corners of a plane figure or any two corners of a solid that are not in the same face; nonparallel
(of e.g. lines or paths) not parallel; converging; oblique-angled
having oblique angles

Antonyms:: parallel
being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting; perpendicular
intersecting at or forming right angles; comparable
able to be compared or worthy of comparison; antiparallel
(especially of vectors) parallel but oppositely directed; collateral
situated or running side by side; nonconvergent, nonintersecting
(of lines, planes, or surfaces) never meeting or crossing; normal
forming a right angle; orthogonal, rectangular
having a set of mutually perpendicular axes; meeting at right angles; right
having the axis perpendicular to the base; symmetric, symmetrical
having similarity in size, shape, and relative position of corresponding parts; show more antonyms...

adj indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading

“gave oblique answers to direct questions”

“oblique political maneuvers”

Synonyms:: devious

: indirect
extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action

n a diagonally arranged abdominal muscle on either side of the torso

Synonyms:: abdominal external oblique muscle, external oblique muscle, musculus obliquus externus abdominis

Type of:: ab, abdominal, abdominal muscle
the muscles of the abdomen

2

n any grammatical case other than the nominative

Synonyms:: oblique case

Antonyms:: nominative, nominative case, subject case
the category of nouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; accusative, accusative case, objective case
the case of nouns serving as the direct object of a verb; dative, dative case
the category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb; genitive, genitive case, possessive, possessive case
the case expressing ownership; vocative, vocative case
the case (in some inflected languages) used when the referent of the noun is being addressed; ablative, ablative case
the case indicating the agent in passive sentences or the instrument or manner or place of the action described by the verb; attributive genitive, attributive genitive case
a word in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective

Type of:: case, grammatical case
nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence