oblique
adj.adj. not expressed in a direct way. You use this to describe a comment or a look that is indirect or hidden.
adj. indirect or not straightforward in expression; not explicit. Often describes communication that avoids addressing a subject directly.
She made an oblique reference to her past.
The politician gave an oblique answer to the reporter's question, avoiding any specific promises.
The author's oblique style requires the reader to look for meaning in the subtext rather than in the literal descriptions of the characters' actions.
From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).
Typically used to describe speech, writing, or glances. Often follows a linking verb or precedes the noun it modifies.