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

Per Nielsen, the afternoon windows from eight years ago were down 13% versus the analogous lineup in 2016, as millions of large Florida markets were plunged into darkness … and untold scores of fans in adjacent states switched over to the Weather Channel and various news outlets. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2025

With analog simulators, physicists map a quantum system of interest onto an analogous system — one that obeys equations of the same form but is easier to configure and observe in a lab. —Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025

It can also be explained from basic scientific principles and is roughly analogous to the way a dry surface, such as pavement, warms more than a moist surface, such as soil, on a hot, sunny day. —Nadir Jeevanjee, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2025

Consider the analogous case of GPS navigation and spatial cognition. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 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