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adjective

oblique

CEFR C2

slanting or inclined in direction or course or position — neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled

In a sentence

Six example sentences with oblique, each labelled with its topic.

  • Late afternoon light strikes the wall at an oblique angle, so every brick throws a long shadow sideways.

    Photography

  • The staircase climbs at an oblique line across the atrium rather than meeting either wall squarely.

    Architecture

  • Cezanne set the tabletop on an oblique tilt, so apples seem about to roll toward the viewer's lap.

    Art

  • Sunlight strikes the Arctic at an oblique angle, spreading its energy across far more ground than the same beam covers at the equator.

    Science

  • The forward made an oblique cut across the lane, angling toward the corner rather than straight to the rim.

    Basketball

  • Farmers plough at an oblique angle to the slope, so rainwater slows as it runs across the furrows.

    Environment

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Found in these word lists

Found in 8 published word listsRecognized

Each source is a published word list that contains oblique. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.