oblique
ob·lique/oʊˈbliːk/adjective, noun, verb
oblique is spelled O-B-L-I-Q-U-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (ob·lique). It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, oblique means “Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in oblique?
| Letters | 7: O-B-L-I-Q-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ob·lique |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is oblique?
Oblique appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce oblique?
- UK /əˈbliːk/
- US /oʊˈbliːk/
- /ɑbˈlaɪk/
Oblique has 2 syllables, split ob·lique in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-oblique.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Knabrupt-oblique.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with oblique?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as oblique from its last stressed vowel (/ik/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of oblique
- obliquer comparative
- obliquest superlative
- obliques plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- obliquing participle, present
- obliqued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oblique mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not erect or perpendicular; not parallel to, or at right angles from, the base.
Italic fonts are sometimes described as oblique in typographic terminology.
- 2
Not straightforward; indirect; by implication; (sometimes even) obscure, ambiguous, or confusing.
The email from HR obliquely informed her that some complaints about her had been received.
- 3
Disingenuous; underhand; morally corrupt.
- 4
Not direct in descent; not following the line of father and son; collateral.
- 5
Having the base of the blade asymmetrical, with one side lower than the other.
- 6
Growing at an angle that is neither vertical nor horizontal.
- 7
Pertaining to the oblique case (non-nominative).
- 8
Indirect; employing the actual words of the speaker but as related by a third person, having the first person in pronoun and verb converted into the third person and adverbs of present time into the past, etc.
They found out obliquely that she had heard from HR about the comments and was taking some time to absorb the sting of an implied reprimand.
noun
- 1
An oblique line.
- 2
Synonym of slash ⟨/⟩.
- 3
The oblique case.
- 4
The musculus obliquus externus abdominis or also obliquus internus abdominis.
verb
- 1
To deviate from a perpendicular line; to become askew.
- 2
To march in a direction oblique to the line of the column or platoon; – formerly accomplished by oblique steps, now by direct steps, the men half-facing either to the right or left.
- 3
To slant (text, etc.) at an angle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oblique in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not erect or perpendicular:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does oblique come from?
From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).