oblique

CEFRC1

/əˈbliːk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Not direct, straight, or expressed in a clear way.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Disingenuous; underhand; morally corrupt.

Examples

  • He made an oblique reference to his past mistakes.

  • She had an oblique view of the city skyline.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
4

Also pronounced

  • /ɑbˈlaɪk/
  • /oʊˈbliːk/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Not straightforward; indirect; by implication; (sometimes even) obscure, ambiguous, or confusing.

  2. Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base.

  3. Not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral.

More examples

In context

  • The oblique angle made the picture more interesting.

  • Italic fonts are sometimes described as oblique in typographic terminology.

  • The email from HR obliquely informed her that some complaints about her had been received.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The artist used an blank angle to create a sense of mystery in the painting.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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