parallel

adjective par·al·lel \ ˈper-ə-ˌlel , ˈpa-rə- , -ləl \

Definition of parallel

1 a :extending in the same direction, everywhere equidistant (see equidistant 1), and not meeting

parallel rows of trees

b :everywhere equally distant

concentric spheres are parallel

2 a :having parallel sides

a parallel reamer

b :being or relating to an electrical circuit having a number of conductors (see conductor d(1)) in parallel (see ²parallel 4b)

c :arranged in parallel

a parallel processor

d :relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted over separate channels at the same time

a parallel port

— compare serial

3 a (1) :similar, analogous, or interdependent in tendency or development

(2) :exhibiting parallelism in form, function, or development

parallel evolution

b :readily compared :companion

the marriage rate turned upward … the birth rate entered upon a parallel climb
—Oscar Handlin

c :having identical syntactical elements in corresponding positions; also :being such an element

d (1) :having the same tonic —used of major and minor keys and scales

(2) :keeping the same distance apart in musical pitch (see ⁴pitch 4b(1))

4 :performed while keeping one's skis parallel

parallel turns

See parallel defined for English-language learners

See parallel defined for kids

Examples of parallel in a Sentence

the parallel careers of the two movie stars
These two sentences are parallel in structure.
Notice the parallel development of the two technologies.

Recent Examples of parallel from the Web

Restaurants and bars within the Louisville region have dealt with parallel names in the past, including — most recently — The Hub Roti Cafe in New Albany and The Hub Louisville.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Dueling bars? New Albany restaurant, Louisville speakeasy to open with similar names," 19 July 2017
Cut parallel slices into the mango flesh, being careful not to cut through the skin.

— national mango board, Philly.com, "How to cut a mango," 19 July 2017
The two sides coexist much like Marvel’s parallel universes in movies and comic books.

— kim bhasin, Bloomberg.com, "Winter Comes to ‘Game of Thrones.’ But for Spinoffs, It’s Springtime," 17 July 2017
With a curb weight of 410 pounds, generous use of the six-speed transmission gives the 471cc parallel-twin engine a decent throttle response for quick canyon work or plodding urban traffic.

— joe michaud, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2017 Honda CMX500 Rebel: Fresh styling sheds the ‘first bike’ image," 13 July 2017
Parallel biographies of Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg, female test pilots for Nazi Germany.

— david martindale, star-telegram, "Novelist reveals the dark side of Peter Pan in ‘Lost Boy’," 13 July 2017
Collusion between Russia and members of the Trump campaign is one of several allegations being investigated by the F.B.I., under special counsel Robert Mueller, as well as by parallel inquiries by the intelligence committees in the House and Senate.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Donny Jr. Hands Over the Trump-Russia Smoking Gun," 11 July 2017
The Bar Method Twenty women stand parallel to a ballet barre in a second-floor studio in South Miami.

— by chloe herring, brooke henderson and samantha j. gross, miamiherald, "Workouts that will keep you cool during the sultry summer months," 11 July 2017
On a parallel track, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the current draft retains two high-end Obamacare taxes that were repealed in the House version of the bill.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "McConnell Scrubs Half the Senate’s August Recess As GOP Scrambles to Save Its Agenda," 11 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of parallel

Latin parallelus, from Greek parallēlos, from para beside + allēlōn of one another, from allos … allos one … another, from allos other — more at else

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1550

See Words from the same year

parallel Synonyms

Synonyms

akin, analogous, cognate, comparable, connate, correspondent, corresponding, ditto, like, matching, alike, resemblant, resembling, similar, such, suchlike

Antonyms

different, dissimilar, diverse, unakin, unlike

Near Antonyms

disparate, distinct, distinguishable, nonequivalent, noninterchangeable; variable, varied, various, varying; imprecise, inaccurate, inexact; unconnected, unrelated

Synonym Discussion of parallel

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

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

parallel

noun

Definition of parallel

1 a :a parallel line, curve, or surface

b :one of the imaginary circles on the surface of the earth paralleling the equator and marking the latitude; also :the corresponding line on a globe or map — see latitude illustration

c :a character ∥ used in printing especially as a reference mark

2 a :something equal or similar in all essential particulars :counterpart

b :similarity, analogue

3 :a comparison to show resemblance

4 a :the state of being physically parallel

b :an arrangement of electrical devices in a circuit in which the same potential difference is applied to two or more resistances with each resistance being on a different branch of the circuit — compare series

c :an arrangement or state that permits several operations or tasks to be performed simultaneously rather than consecutively

— in parallel

:in a parallel arrangement

See parallel defined for English-language learners

Examples of parallel in a Sentence

These myths have some striking parallels with myths found in cultures around the world.
There are many parallels between the stories.
Most of the United States is south of the 49th parallel.

Recent Examples of parallel from the Web

The height of soul and funk music ran roughly parallel to the civil rights movement in America, from the 1950s to the ’70s, a period that was highly charged with political and social commentary.

— p.j. rickards, The Root, "Watch: Soul and Funk Icons Who Stood Tall for Black Empowerment," 30 June 2017
As luck would have it, the street runs parallel to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, another hood classic.

— monique judge, The Root, "Barack Obama Boulevard: Los Angeles City Council Votes Unanimously to Rename Street After Former President," 29 June 2017
The House plan has some parallels to Medicare’s late enrollment penalty, which is applied to premiums for people who did not sign up upon turning 65.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Senate And House Take Different Plans To Scrap Individual Mandate," 26 June 2017
Since 2002, when Pew began examining the United States' image abroad, perceptions of the United States have run in parallel with judgments about the country's president.

— isaac stanley-becker and scott clement, chicagotribune.com, "World poll shows little confidence in Trump – except in Russia," 26 June 2017
It has been performed for over 400 years in every nation across the world, often set in the current times and with parallels to actual leaders.

— michelle legro, Longreads, "Five Questions for an Actor in the Ensemble of ‘Julius Caesar’," 21 June 2017
That’s because light waves can travel and interact in parallel, allowing them to perform lots of functions simultaneously.

— matthew hutson, Science | AAAS, "Computer chip mimics human brain, with light beams for neurons," 20 June 2017
Since the 16th century, a wide variety of productions have used modern costumes to draw explicit parallels between the events of the play and politicians of all stripes.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Misplaced Outrage Over a Trumpian Julius Caesar," 12 June 2017
There are parallels between the old Lunatic line and its replacement, said Elias Randiga, the assistant director of the Railway Museum in Nairobi, a stone’s throw from the original Nairobi Station.

— kimiko de freytas-tamura, New York Times, "Kenyans Fear Chinese-Backed Railway Is Another ‘Lunatic Express’," 8 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of parallel

see ¹parallel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1551

See Words from the same year

parallel Synonyms

Synonyms

commonality, common denominator, congruity, correspondence, similarity, resemblance, similitude

Antonyms

dissimilarity

Related Words

counterpart, equal, equivalent; analogy; homology

Near Antonyms

difference, discrepancy; deviance, divergence, incongruence, incongruity; change, modification, variation

Other Cartography Terms

Robinson projection, benchmark, plat, projection, topography

parallel

verb

Definition of parallel

transitive verb

1 :to indicate analogy of :compare

2 a :to show something equal to :match

b :to correspond to

3 :to place so as to be parallel in direction with something

4 :to extend, run, or move in a direction parallel to

See parallel defined for English-language learners

Examples of parallel in a Sentence

Their test results parallel our own.
Rising prices parallel increasing fuel costs.
Spending is paralleled by an increase in the number of loans given.
The highway parallels the river.

Recent Examples of parallel from the Web

And his personal evolution paralleled the move of white nationalists, fascists, and neo-Nazis from the fringe toward the middle of American political life.

— christopher d. cantwell, The Atlantic, "The Digitally Entangled Lives of Two Christopher Cantwells," 29 Aug. 2017
The U.S. role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having U.S. troops do the fighting for them.

— robert burns, chicagotribune.com, "Pentagon chief, in Baghdad, says militants are 'on the run'," 22 Aug. 2017
The U.S. role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having U.S. troops do the fighting for them.

— Washington Post, "Mattis: IS militants caught in Iraq-Syria military vise," 22 Aug. 2017
The results closely parallel a ranking produced earlier this year by Cvent, an event management software firm that tracks conventions in 5,000 cities.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego among top 5 choices for conventions," 4 Aug. 2017
Today, the Western has all but faded from popular culture, perhaps paralleling the dissipation of our frontier mentality and the loss of our connection to the land in an increasingly urbanized society.

— michael auslin, National Review, "The Last Great American Western Turns 25," 3 Aug. 2017
This latest crossover confidently casts its own shadow with a design theme paralleling that of the stunning Jaguar F-Type coupe.

— eric stafford, Car and Driver, "2018 Jaguar E-Pace: Designed to Cross Over," 13 July 2017
The first wagon train, consisting of 143 men, three women and two children, began the trek westward in April 1847, following a course along the north side of the Platte River, generally paralleling the Oregon Train on the south side.

— glenna christensen, idahostatesman, "Mormons celebrate 2 meaningful dates in July," 7 July 2017
A separate equestrian path parallels the Trace in several places.

— NOLA.com, "Top 10 summer staycation activities on the North Shore," 7 July 2017