slant

This word is not just about hills. It can describe a leaning angle, like the slope of a roof or the way rain comes through the air at an angle. It can also mean a bias or a particular way of looking at something. A news report might have a political slant, which means it tells the story from one side more than another.

Imagine a detective working on a case. They need to look at the facts without a personal slant, or they may read the evidence the wrong way. Now picture sunlight coming through a window at a sharp slant. In both cases, the idea is the same: something is leaning, either in space or in thought.

The word "slant" works in two main ways, and both share the idea of something leaning to one side. In the physical sense, it means an angle, a slope, or a tilt. You can talk about the slant of a roof, the slant of a hillside, the slant of handwriting, or the slant of sunlight as it enters a room. In these cases, the word points to something that is not straight up and down or perfectly flat.

In a more figurative sense, "slant" means a bias, a viewpoint, or a way of presenting something from a certain side. A newspaper story may have a political slant. A person may take a negative slant on a problem if they keep noticing what is wrong. This meaning is common when people talk about opinion, media, argument, and interpretation.

"Slant" can also be a verb. If someone slants a story, they present it in a way that pushes the reader toward a certain opinion. That does not always mean the facts are false, but it does mean the facts may be arranged or described to favor one side.

So, whether you are talking about a roof, a beam of light, a piece of writing, or a point of view, "slant" suggests a lean away from the straight or neutral line, either in shape or in meaning.