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Added 8 October 2026

oblique

/əˈbliːk/ adjective

In Latin: oblīquus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about oblique at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base.
Italic fonts are sometimes described as oblique in typographic terminology.
Not straightforward; indirect; by implication; obscure, ambiguous, or confusing.
The email from HR obliquely informed her that some complaints about her had been received.
Disingenuous; underhand; morally corrupt.

noun

An oblique line.
Synonym of slash ⟨/⟩.
The oblique case.

verb

To deviate from a perpendicular line; to become askew.
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.
To slant (text, etc.) at an angle.

Origin

From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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