glancingly

In passing contact

Glancingly means in a brief, passing manner—touching on something without sustained attention.

A news article might glancingly mention a controversy without exploring it.

The word suggests deflection rather than direct engagement, like light glancing off a surface: The report dealt with the scandal only glancingly.

brief

fleetingly

For a very short time

momentarilyFor a very short time
passinglyIn a brief manner
transientlyFor a short time

cursorily · hastily · quickly · shortly · perfunctorily · summarily · lightly · swiftly · rapidly

superficial

shallowly

To slight depth

cursorilyIn a hasty, surface-level manner
perfunctorilyDone without genuine interest
skin-deepAffecting only the surface

cosmetically · trivially · insubstantially · lightly · carelessly · offhandedly · casually · negligently · hastily · dismissively

tangential

obliquely

At a slant

indirectlyVia intermediate means
peripherallyIn a marginal way
incidentallyIntroducing a tangent

sidelong · digressively · askew · aslant · slantingly · elliptically · sideways · edgewise · offhandedly

Opposites

directness of contact or impact

glancinglyhead-on

Directly facing forward

directly · squarely · dead-on · full-on · frontally

depth of engagement or attention

glancinglythoroughly

In complete detail

deeply · substantively · in depth · exhaustively · comprehensively

Phrases

glancing blowOblique, partial impact
glancing awayRedirecting one's gaze elsewhere

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G