Oblique type

Oblique type is a form of type that slants slightly to the right. It is used for the same purposes as italic type. But unlike italic type, it does not use different glyph shapes. It uses the same glyphs as Roman type, except slanted.
Type designers have called oblique as less organic and calligraphic than italics. That may be preferred in some situations.
Many sans serif typefaces use oblique designs instead of italic ones. This is especially true with grotesque designs like Helvetica.