Word
diagonal
Phoneticsdi·ag·o·nal
US/daɪˈæɡənəɫ/
UK/daɪˈæɡənəl/
Definitions
01slanted or at an angle
adj. describing a straight line that is slanted, rather than going straight across or straight up and down.
adj. having a slanted or oblique direction; neither horizontal nor vertical.
“The shirt has a pattern of diagonal stripes in blue and white.”
“The architect incorporated several diagonal support beams to give the glass atrium a more dynamic and modern aesthetic.”
Antonyms
02joining opposite corners
adj. connecting two opposite corners of a square, rectangle, or other flat shape.
adj. joining two non-adjacent vertices of a polygon, such as the opposite corners of a quadrilateral.
“Draw a diagonal line from the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner.”
“To calculate the length of the diagonal, you must apply the Pythagorean theorem to the sides of the rectangle.”
Synonyms
03a slanted line
n. a straight line that joins opposite corners or goes across at an angle.
n. a straight line joining non-adjacent vertices of a polygon or any slanted line or direction.
“The hikers took a shortcut across the field, walking on a diagonal toward the gate.”
“The composition of the painting is dominated by a strong diagonal that leads the viewer's eye from the foreground into the distance.”
Real-World Examples
“Goal two: when marking Messi, Spence and Nico O’Reilly were in parallel with each other rather than being diagonal.” Etymology
From Middle French diagonal, from Latin diagōnālis, from Ancient Greek διαγώνιος (diagṓnios, “from angle to angle”), from διά (diá, “across”) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/diagonal