analogous

adjective

anal·​o·​gous ə-ˈna-lə-gəs 

: 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

analogously adverb

analogousness noun

Synonyms

• similar
• comparable
• like
• alike
• such

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

Lawsuits challenging Trump administration cuts in grant funding by other agencies, such as the Department Health and Human Services, have made analogous arguments. —Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2025

Mycelium is analogous to the roots of a plant (although mushrooms are fungi, not plants). —Skye Chilton, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025

These talismans of use are analogous to the often unaffected art work shown at Intuit. —Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025

Themis is analogous to SpaceX's Grasshopper reusable rocket prototype tested more than a decade ago, with progressively higher hop tests to demonstrate vertical takeoff and vertical landing techniques. —ArsTechnica, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

analogous

adjective

anal·​o·​gous ə-ˈnal-ə-gəs 

1

: showing analogy : similar

the two stories are analogous

2

: related by analogy

analogously adverb

analogousness noun

Medical Definition

analogous

adjective

anal·​o·​gous ə-ˈnal-ə-gəs 

: having similar function but a different structure and origin

analogous organs