as in asides
a departure from the subject under consideration
in the middle of her description of her dog's symptoms, she went off on a tangent about its cute behavior
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Recent Examples of tangents
The conversation is lively, with people often chatting over each other and going on tangents.
—
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
All in all, the show tackles a thoughtful premise — even two people speaking the same linguistic language will need their thoughts translated — and almost got it right but took a couple of tangents after the halfway mark.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
But it was edited several times for length, to avoid tangents and the repetitiveness of partisan attacks.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Comprising a mix of anxiety, cerebral tangents, and a dash of absurdist whimsy, Nancherla’s first full-length special Hopeful Potato, directed by Eliza Skinner, premieres December 15.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Like his film Bacurau, The Secret Agent bends back on its own genre, indulging in tangents and side characters and tonal shifts throughout.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
All in all, the show tackles a thoughtful premise — even two people speaking the same linguistic language will need their thoughts translated — and almost got it right but took a couple of tangents after the halfway mark.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
But it was edited several times for length, to avoid tangents and the repetitiveness of partisan attacks.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Comprising a mix of anxiety, cerebral tangents, and a dash of absurdist whimsy, Nancherla’s first full-length special Hopeful Potato, directed by Eliza Skinner, premieres December 15.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Like his film Bacurau, The Secret Agent bends back on its own genre, indulging in tangents and side characters and tonal shifts throughout.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangents
Noun
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Aside from his messages of unity and urging people watching at home to never second-guess themselves, Bad Bunny also shared other asides in Spanish throughout the halftime show.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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Trump’s asides generate more media attention than his defense of his economic record.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The play is stacked with laugh lines and Greenberg’s deliciously writerly digressions.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The plot takes quite a few wild digressions on our heroes’ way to meeting Hamm (who also gives an excellent performance as himself).—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangents. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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