analogous

adjective

anal·o·gous | \ ə-ˈna-lə-gəs

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

Other Words from analogous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About analogous

Choose the Right Synonym for analogous

similar, analogous, parallel mean closely resembling each other. similar implies the possibility of being mistaken for each other. all the houses in the development are similar analogous applies to things belonging in essentially different categories but nevertheless having many similarities. analogous political systems parallel suggests a marked likeness in the development of two things. the parallel careers of two movie stars

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 on the Web Grothendieck’s discoveries opened up mathematics in a way that was analogous to how Wittgenstein (and Saussure) changed our views of language. — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 The ideas or concepts demonstrated in the Formula E example are analogous to enterprise use cases as well. — Rohit Amarnath, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Radiation from Jupiter has an analogous effect on these compounds as a big cup of coffee might have on a person. — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2020 SaaS solutions today are analogous to this technological progress. — Ana Pinczuk, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Many computing problems are analogous to shuffling songs in a playlist. — Eugenia Cheng, WSJ, 21 Apr. 2022 There was something analogous in the history of writing that ran alongside that of movement and change. — New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022 Mathematicians don’t get the Nobel Prize, and this is something that’s supposed to be analogous to that in mathematics. — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 5 Apr. 2022 Buehler found that the hierarchical elements of music composition (pitch, range, dynamics, tempo) are analogous to the hierarchical elements of protein structure. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2022 See More

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.

History and Etymology for analogous

Latin analogus "proportionate" (Medieval Latin, "conforming to analogy") + -ous; analogus borrowed from Greek análogos "proportionate, conformable," parasynthetic derivative from anà lógon "proportionately," from aná "up, throughout" + lógon, accusative of lógos "word, speech, relation, correspondence, proportion" — more at ana-, legend