orthogonal
adjective
or·thog·o·nal
ȯr-ˈthä-gə-nᵊl 
1
a
: intersecting or lying at right angles
In orthogonal cutting, the cutting edge is perpendicular to the direction of tool travel.
b
: having perpendicular slopes or tangents at the point of intersection
orthogonal curves
2
: having a sum of products or an integral (see integral entry 1 sense 1b) that is zero or sometimes one under specified conditions: such as
a
of real-valued functions
: having the integral of the product of each pair of functions over a specific interval equal to zero
b
of vectors
: having the scalar product equal to zero
c
of a square matrix
: having the sum of products of corresponding elements in any two rows or any two columns equal to one if the rows or columns are the same and equal to zero otherwise : having a transpose with which the product equals the identity matrix
3
of a linear transformation
: having a matrix (see matrix sense 5a) that is orthogonal : preserving length and distance
4
: composed of mutually orthogonal elements
an orthogonal basis of a vector space
5
: statistically independent
mental ability may be classified into several orthogonal … factors—
O. D. Duncan
O. D. Duncan6
: orthographic sense 1
orthogonal projection
Examples of orthogonal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The researchers demonstrated an ultra-wide 145 GHz bandwidth wireless transmission of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals over the air, covering a 5–150 GHz frequency region.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Don’t go randomly asking for some details in an area that is orthogonal to someone’s primary effort.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Frankel’s orthogonal look at communism’s loudest critics comes to mind after another Washington Post effort to portray Meta as indifferent to the safety of children using its social media.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
As if that emerging standards landscape weren’t complicated enough, Sony championed yet another technology based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).
—Julianne Pepitone, IEEE Spectrum, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for orthogonal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Don’t go randomly asking for some details in an area that is orthogonal to someone’s primary effort.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Frankel’s orthogonal look at communism’s loudest critics comes to mind after another Washington Post effort to portray Meta as indifferent to the safety of children using its social media.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
As if that emerging standards landscape weren’t complicated enough, Sony championed yet another technology based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).
—Julianne Pepitone, IEEE Spectrum, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for orthogonal
Cite this Entry
“Orthogonal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orthogonal. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
orthogonal
adjective
or·thog·o·nal
ȯr-ˈthäg-ən-ᵊl
1
a
: lying or intersecting at right angles
b
: being, using, or made with three ECG leads whose axes are perpendicular to each other and to the frontal, horizontal, and sagittal axes of the body
the three orthogonal leads were recorded simultaneously on magnetic tape—Massoud Nemati et al.
Massoud Nemati et al.2
: statistically independent
mental ability may be classified into several orthogonal … factors—O. D. Duncan
O. D. DuncanLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share