parenthetical
adjective
par·en·thet·i·cal
ˌper-ən-ˈthe-ti-kəl 
ˌpa-rən-
variants
or less commonly parenthetic
ˌper-ən-ˈthe-tik
ˌpa-rən-
1
a
: of, relating to, or expressed in a parenthesis
a parenthetical remark/comment/note
One sentence runs on for nearly two pages; other sentences meander through the potholes of so many parenthetical expressions as to make it nearly impossible to follow the trail of the argument …—
James Q. Wilson
James Q. WilsonIn a construction of this sort, the phrase "the coach said" should be regarded as a parenthetical insert and should be implicitly thought of as flanked by commas.—Samuel R. Levin
Samuel R. Levin… his travel diaries were notable for their erratic punctuation, parenthetic embellishments and an extraordinary way with adjectives.—William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple
b
: enclosed in parentheses
a foreign word followed by a parenthetical translation
The recuperating Yankees have a parenthetical medical problem that is now part of each player's name: Hernández (elbow), Pettitte (elbow), Rivera (ankle), Mendoza (shoulder), O'Neill (foot), Justice (groin), Jeter (hamstring), Knoblauch (elbow). Put them together and it spells Yankees (problems).—Dave Anderson
Dave Anderson2
: containing parentheses : using or given to using parentheses
a parenthetical style
parenthetically
ˌper-ən-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē
adverb
ˌpa-rən-
"They are a good nucleus of ideas for me," she says, adding, almost parenthetically, "Of course you have to know a lot about medicine to understand them."
—Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Examples of parenthetical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That latter parenthetical thought was followed by a crying emoji.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2025
She should have been paid going rates and had a bigger shout-out than some measly parenthetical thank you.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2025
For instance, François Boucher’s eighteenth-century paintings of toddlers engaged in the work of scientists, artists, and philosophers previously formed an odd parenthetical downstairs.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
His motives for the project are laid out in the title’s parenthetical.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
But Questlove unexpectedly leans heavier on his title’s parenthetical addendum in order to illuminate some deeper truths about the challenges of stardom (especially for Black artists) that may have started with Stone, but which still persist today.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025
Matthews devotes one parenthetical sentence claiming rocket launches hurt coastal wildlife.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
The intrigue: The Poynter Institute — which owns the Tampa Bay Times — gave the paper's decision only a parenthetical reference in an article published Monday about regional publications that made similar calls.
—Yacob Reyes, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
Yes, that parenthetical, fourth wall-breaking note is literally in there.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2025
She should have been paid going rates and had a bigger shout-out than some measly parenthetical thank you.
—Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2025
For instance, François Boucher’s eighteenth-century paintings of toddlers engaged in the work of scientists, artists, and philosophers previously formed an odd parenthetical downstairs.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
His motives for the project are laid out in the title’s parenthetical.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
But Questlove unexpectedly leans heavier on his title’s parenthetical addendum in order to illuminate some deeper truths about the challenges of stardom (especially for Black artists) that may have started with Stone, but which still persist today.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025
Matthews devotes one parenthetical sentence claiming rocket launches hurt coastal wildlife.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
The intrigue: The Poynter Institute — which owns the Tampa Bay Times — gave the paper's decision only a parenthetical reference in an article published Monday about regional publications that made similar calls.
—Yacob Reyes, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024
Yes, that parenthetical, fourth wall-breaking note is literally in there.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Parenthetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parenthetical. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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