The meaning of TANGENTIAL is touching lightly : incidental, peripheral; also : of little relevance. How to use tangential in a sentence. Tangential Has Mathematical Roots.

TANGENTIAL definition: pertaining to or of the nature of a tangent; being or moving in the direction of a tangent. See examples of tangential used in a sentence.

Add to word list (of a subject or activity) different than the one you are talking about or doing: a tangential issue (Definition of tangential from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © …

If you describe something as tangential, you mean that it has only a slight or indirect connection with the thing you are concerned with, and is therefore not worth considering seriously.

1. Of, relating to, or moving along or in the direction of a tangent. 2. Merely touching or slightly connected. 3. Only superficially relevant; divergent: a tangential remark.

Definition of tangential adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

tangential, adj. & n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

Tangential describes something that's not part of the whole. If you make a comment that is tangential to the story you're telling, it's a digression. The story could still be understood without it.

Tangent to a curve. The red line is tangential to the curve at the point marked by a red dot. Tangent plane to a sphere In geometry, the tangent line (or simply tangent) to a plane curve at a given point …

Dec 4, 2025 · tangential (comparative more tangential, superlative most tangential) The meteor came in on a tangential orbit and exploded about 8 or 10 miles above the earth's surface, just south of the …