Meaning & use

diagonal

adjective·Academic

Running in a straight, slanting direction rather than horizontally or vertically, especially between two opposite corners.

See it in a sentence

The bishop in chess can only move along a diagonal line across the board.

She drew a diagonal stripe across the poster to separate the two sections.

A note on using this word

As a noun, a diagonal is the line itself, such as the diagonal of a rectangle connecting opposite corners.

Words with a similar meaning

slantedoblique

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

horizontalvertical

Make it your own

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