analogous

adjective anal·o·gous \ ə-ˈna-lə-gəs \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: analogous in a Sentence

Definition of analogous

: similar or comparable to something else either in general or in some specific detail

Timbre in music is analogous to color in painting.
—Aaron Copland

An airplane's joystick is somewhat analogous to the reins on a horse.

: similar in a way that invites comparison : showing an analogy or a likeness that permits one to draw an analogy

a town council and a government body that serves an analogous function

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analogously

adverb

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analogousness

noun

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Examples of analogous in a Sentence

… gluons, force particles analogous to the photons of electromagnetism. —Andrew Watson, Science, 22 Jan. 1999
… great stretches of algae, analogous to terrestrial woodlands, in which kelp fills the role of trees. —William K. Stevens, New York Times, 5 Jan. 1999
… not by means superior to, though analogous with, human reason … —Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859

Recent Examples of analogous from the Web

Obviously that was not analogous to Landon's, because with Landon's the ball kind of popped out.

— grant wahl and brian straus, SI.com, "World Cup Daily Podcast: Belgium Stuns Japan With Epic Second-Half Comeback," 2 July 2018
Meet the Neighbors Pick three analogous hues that sit next to one another on the color wheel for a soothing scheme that is easy on the eyes.

— mike irvine, Sunset, "4 Ways to Design Colorful Floral Arrangements," 22 Jan. 2018
An analogous kind of reciprocity has also been at work in China’s economic relationship with America.

— The Economist, "Donald Trump insists on trade reciprocity. But what kind?," 12 July 2018
In many ways, Crowley’s defeat is analogous to then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s unexpected fall in a Virginia GOP primary four years ago this month.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Crowley going down spotlights the looming Democratic identity crisis," 27 June 2018
But that UMass campus does not have analogous programs for every course of study that was offered at Mount Ida.

— joshua miller, BostonGlobe.com, "Healey allows sale of Mount Ida but will also investigate," 15 May 2018
Yes, both varieties go down into the ground in roughly analogous ways, but that doesn't stop square stakes from being markedly and objectively superior to their round cousins.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Every Reason to Never Use a Round Concrete Stake Again," 24 Aug. 2016
That situation is analogous to what WoodSpring Suites could foster with its bargain rates for longer stays, Witkowski said.

— tom daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "WoodSpring Suites seeks license for first Milwaukee hotel as long battle enters new front," 29 June 2018
According to this theory, each fundamental subatomic particle corresponds to an excitation of a string, analogous to a musical note played on a guitar.

— graham farmelo, WSJ, "‘Lost in Math’ Review: The Beauty Myth," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analogous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of analogous

Latin analogus, from Greek analogos, literally, proportionate, from ana- + logos reason, ratio, from legein to gather, speak — more at legend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1646

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year