obliquely

O1B3L1I1Q10U1E1L1Y4
/əˈbliːkli/

adverb

In an oblique manner; sideways.

UncommonScrabble 23

Meanings

adverbobliquely (comparative more obliquely, superlative most obliquely)

comparative more obliquely · superlative most obliquely

  1. In an oblique manner; sideways.

    Then, advancing obliquely towards us, came a fifth.

    1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 99
    2 more examples

    Finally I descended the hill, obliquely, towards the trees I had seen.

    1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 206

    Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was.

    1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC

    Synonyms: sidelong

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbIn an oblique manner; sideways.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adverbto, toward or at one side

adverbat an oblique angle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishoblique
  2. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  3. Proto-Germanic*līką
  4. Englishobliquely

From oblique + -ly.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hungarian ferdén
  • ferdénin an oblique manner; sideways
Spanish oblicuamente
  • oblicuamentein an oblique manner; sideways

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with obliquely

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

obliquely. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliquely

MLA

“obliquely.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliquely. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obliquely,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliquely.

Source: obliquely on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.