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

• akin
• alike
• cognate
• comparable
• connate
• correspondent
• corresponding
• ditto
• like
• matching
• parallel
• resemblant
• resembling
• similar
• such
• suchlike

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

The current excitement about technology and artificial intelligence (AI) is not analogous to the tech bubble because the current crop of large technology companies is incredibly profitable. —Bill Stone, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

Sharp-eyed observers might notice one popular ex-governor on this list who might be roughly analogous to Hogan. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024

Complementary colors, analogous colors and triadic colors are concepts worth exploring to find the perfect balance. —Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 21 Jan. 2024

There’s no analogous sort of tasks in any other art form. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024

This behavior is more analogous to human asexuality, a concept rarely mentioned in medical literature until recently. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023

The size is measured in terms of parameters, roughly analogous to all the ways that words can be connected. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024

The panel observed that the Constitution’s text provides no such immunity; and while the Supreme Court has never squarely ruled on the matter, its analogous decisions granting forms of executive immunity and privilege stress that these must bend to the demands of criminal justice. —Nr Editors, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024

Today’s analogous paranoid fantasy involves the COVID vaccines — and by extension, all vaccines. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2024

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