What does obliquity mean?
Obliquity describes the quality of being indirect, slanting, or deliberately non-direct. Literally, it can refer to a line or path that does not proceed straight ahead. Figuratively, it is used for speech, behaviour, or thinking that avoids the main point, often with the suggestion that the indirectness is subtle, strategic, or evasive. The word appears in formal and literary contexts, where it conveys greater sophistication than a simple reference to indirectness but can still imply a lack of candour. Understanding obliquity is useful in literary analysis, legal and political discussion, and descriptions of geometry, where it provides a precise term for departure from a direct line or course.
nounObliquity is the state of being oblique, especially a departure from a straight, direct, or straightforward course. It can refer to physical indirectness or, figuratively, to a subtle or indirect manner of expression or thought.
- The state or quality of being indirect, oblique, or not straightforward, especially in expression, reasoning, or conduct.
"His answer was marked by obliquity, allowing him to avoid addressing the central issue directly."
"The politician's obliquity made it difficult to determine which policy she actually supported."
"The mountain path follows the slope's obliquity rather than climbing directly toward the summit."
Used when referring to multiple instances of indirectness, deviation, or lack of straightforwardness.
"The various obliquities of the report made its central argument difficult to identify."
In a culture that rewards directness, obliquity can be both a graceful way of saying something and a way of avoiding it altogether.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does obliquity come from?
Obliquity comes from the Latin noun obliquitas, meaning “slantingness” or “indirectness,” derived from obliquus, “slanting” or “crooked.” The adjective oblique entered English from the Latin obliquus, while obliquity developed in English during the 16th century. The same Latin root underlies cognates in several European languages, including French obliquité and Italian obliquità.
Related word forms
How obliquity is actually used
Formally used and often somewhat literary. In figurative contexts it can suggest tact or subtlety, but also evasiveness, ambiguity, or a reluctance to speak directly.
Easily confused with obliquity
Oblique is primarily an adjective or geometric term meaning slanting or indirect, while obliquity is a noun naming the quality or state of being oblique.