Tangentiality: meaning, definitions and examples

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tangentiality

 

[ ˌtan(d)ʒɛnʃɪˈalɪti ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

in conversation

Tangentiality is the tendency to go off on a tangent or digress from the main topic of conversation. It involves shifting the focus of discussion to unrelated or peripheral issues.

Synonyms

digression, divergence, rambling

Examples of usage

  • He often displays tangentiality during our discussions, making it hard to stay on track.
  • When she experiences tangentiality, it can be challenging to follow her train of thought.

Translations

Translations of the word "tangentiality" in other languages:

🇵🇹 tangencialidade

🇮🇳 स्पर्शरेखीयता

🇩🇪 Tangentialität

🇮🇩 tangensialitas

🇺🇦 тангенціальність

🇵🇱 tangencjalność

🇯🇵 接線性 (せっせんせい)

🇫🇷 tangentialité

🇪🇸 tangencialidad

🇹🇷 teğetsellik

🇰🇷 접선성 (jeopseonseong)

🇸🇦 التماس

🇨🇿 tečnovost

🇸🇰 tečnosť

🇨🇳 切线性 (qiēxiàn xìng)

🇸🇮 tangencialnost

🇮🇸 snertipunktur

🇰🇿 жанасушылық

🇬🇪 შეხების

🇦🇿 toxunma

🇲🇽 tangencialidad

Etymology

The term 'tangentiality' originated from the Latin word 'tangere', meaning 'to touch'. It was first used in psychology to describe a thought disorder characterized by oblique or irrelevant replies to questions. Over time, it has been adopted in general conversation to refer to a tendency to stray from the main topic.

See also: tangential, tangentially.