1
be orthogonal to sth
用于几何学，意为垂直或正交。
This line is orthogonal to that one.
这条线垂直于那条线。
无关的；不相干的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
无关的；不相干的
not pertinent to the matter under consideration
This line is orthogonal to that one.
这条线垂直于那条线。
此处指“与讨论无关”，而非数学中的“正交”
垂直的；正交的
Of two objects, at right angles; perpendicular to each other.
与所考虑的问题无关的
not pertinent to the matter under consideration
内积为零的；正交的
Of a pair of vectors: having a zero inner product; perpendicular.
统计上不相关的
statistically unrelated
The committee decided that his comments were orthogonal to the main agenda, so they moved on without discussing them.
委员会认为他的评论与主要议程无关，因此没有讨论就继续了。
AI contextual example
Whether she likes the design is orthogonal to its technical performance; both factors matter in the final choice.
她是否喜欢这个设计与其技术性能无关；两个因素在最终选择中都很重要。
AI contextual example
In this discussion, the budget question is orthogonal to the security issue, so please keep them separate.
在这次讨论中，预算问题与安全问题无关，所以请将它们分开处理。
AI contextual example
wind and sea may displace the ship's center of gravity along three orthogonal axes
风浪可能使船的重心沿三个正交轴发生位移。
WordNet
用于几何学，意为垂直或正交。
This line is orthogonal to that one.
这条线垂直于那条线。
用于比喻，意为不相关、无关联。
His argument is orthogonal to the main issue.
他的论点与主要问题无关。
Not this
These vectors are orthogonal with each other.
Use this
These vectors are orthogonal to each other.
在英语中，形容词 orthogonal 表示“正交的”，常搭配介词 to 而不是 with。中文表达“与…正交”可能误译为 orthogonal with，但标准用法是 orthogonal to。
Not this
The two lines are orthogonals.
Use this
The two lines are orthogonal.
Orthogonal 作形容词时没有复数形式；表示“正交的”应使用形容词 orthogonal，而不是名词复数 orthogonals。名词 orthogonals 指具体的正交直线，此处语境描述性质而非实体。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
与当前问题无关
His remarks were orthogonal to the issue we were discussing.
他的言论与我们正在讨论的问题无关。
完全无关的
That suggestion is completely orthogonal to the topic at hand.
那个建议与手头的话题完全无关。
不相干的问题
This is an orthogonal question, so we'll set it aside for now.
这是一个不相干的问题，所以我们先把它放到一边。
基本无关的
The cost concerns are largely orthogonal to the technical feasibility.
成本方面的顾虑与技术可行性基本无关。
Use orthogonal naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记忆：数学里“正交”（orthogonal）的两条线方向无关，所以引申为“不相干的”；看到 ortho- 开头就想到“互不搭界”。
语域：formal 常见场景：学术写作、技术讨论 该词义多用于正式或专业语境，指“无关的、不相干的”，与几何学中“正交的”含义不同。比较常见于技术文档、学术文章或逻辑论证中，口语中很少使用。
形容词常接to；名词可数
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.