1
as in similarities
a point which two or more things share in common
her professor pointed out some parallels between the two novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in equivalents
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value
an advance that is without parallel in the history of virology
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in matches
to be the exact counterpart of
developments in the television show paralleled those in the lead actor's real life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parallels
Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
For Israel, which had to vacate its Sinai conquest in 1956, there are parallels, too.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
In Parties That Changed the World, two legendary soirées—one historical, one modern—reveal surprising cultural parallels across time.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 30 Mar. 2026
So when an octopus starts flashing colors and twitching in its sleep, the parallels are hard to ignore.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Meg Marinis addressed the Winston-Jules storyline and its parallels to Derek and Meredith after the Season 21 finale last May.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
The 2026 California gubernatorial race represents the most wide-open contest since 1998, drawing striking parallels to that volatile election when Gray Davis unexpectedly emerged victorious despite trailing significantly in early polling.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
This system of favoring certain chiefs and giving development projects to certain communities and not to others has strong parallels with the system practiced by oil companies in the region today.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
As the teams huddled out on the field, nascent strategies and cinematic parallels began to emerge.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
It’s located in a part of southwest Charlotte that saw a boom in development after the completion of Interstate 485, which parallels Whitehall Park Drive.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Hardest hit by redevelopment are residents like Michael Ziebel, 88, a Russian emigre whose life parallels a generation on South Beach.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
But south of the tunnel, Highway 1 still parallels a stretch of towering cliffs overlooking a sheltered cove.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Tobacco parallels The Los Angeles trial centers on allegations made by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, and her mother that four social media giants intentionally designed addictive platforms that hooked her as a child and led to mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Try the easy Bajada Trail, which parallels San Juan Road at the base of the Gila range.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Asbury Park is where Bruce Springsteen got his start, and other beach towns, long popular as summer getaways, include Belmar, Spring Lake, Point Pleasant, and towns on Long Beach Island, a narrow barrier island that parallels the coast.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
The fracturing of the television audience parallels the schisms in America’s political culture, with viewers and voters increasingly sheltering in partisan echo chambers.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
In Asia, pickling developed independently but with striking parallels.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
For Israel, which had to vacate its Sinai conquest in 1956, there are parallels, too.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
In Parties That Changed the World, two legendary soirées—one historical, one modern—reveal surprising cultural parallels across time.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 30 Mar. 2026
So when an octopus starts flashing colors and twitching in its sleep, the parallels are hard to ignore.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Meg Marinis addressed the Winston-Jules storyline and its parallels to Derek and Meredith after the Season 21 finale last May.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
The 2026 California gubernatorial race represents the most wide-open contest since 1998, drawing striking parallels to that volatile election when Gray Davis unexpectedly emerged victorious despite trailing significantly in early polling.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
This system of favoring certain chiefs and giving development projects to certain communities and not to others has strong parallels with the system practiced by oil companies in the region today.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
As the teams huddled out on the field, nascent strategies and cinematic parallels began to emerge.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Straight Creek Trail is an old double-track road that parallels Interstate 70 up to the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel, according to White River National Forest.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
It’s located in a part of southwest Charlotte that saw a boom in development after the completion of Interstate 485, which parallels Whitehall Park Drive.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Hardest hit by redevelopment are residents like Michael Ziebel, 88, a Russian emigre whose life parallels a generation on South Beach.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
But south of the tunnel, Highway 1 still parallels a stretch of towering cliffs overlooking a sheltered cove.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Tobacco parallels The Los Angeles trial centers on allegations made by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, and her mother that four social media giants intentionally designed addictive platforms that hooked her as a child and led to mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Try the easy Bajada Trail, which parallels San Juan Road at the base of the Gila range.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Asbury Park is where Bruce Springsteen got his start, and other beach towns, long popular as summer getaways, include Belmar, Spring Lake, Point Pleasant, and towns on Long Beach Island, a narrow barrier island that parallels the coast.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
The fracturing of the television audience parallels the schisms in America’s political culture, with viewers and voters increasingly sheltering in partisan echo chambers.
—Karrin Vasby Anderson, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parallels
Noun
-
Both are geared toward military families, but that's about where the similarities end.—
Kelsey Neubauer,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Despite being separated from mammals by more than 500 million years of evolution, this pattern of rest shows similarities to mammalian sleep.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rock stars and their equivalents in other genres often develop their craft in obscurity before being discovered; idols are apprentices, trained exhaustively by their management companies.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Short-term money market funds and cash equivalents can offer places to hide from the volatility.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The channel also features deal segments tied to Amazon shopping events and everyday deal streams, alongside licensed lifestyle programming that matches Amazon’s key shopping categories.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
-
When a customer completes an order online with a participating retailer, SameDay Local automatically matches them to the appropriate vehicle and driver, assigns the route and provides them live near-real-time tracking updates from pickup to delivery.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
David Leach, the head of security, noted that a training program offered by the utility for technician jobs bears resemblances to Oakland’s cadet initiative.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
For all the resemblances between the ancient incarceration system and our own, the differences are real.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Are human beings really that much more evolved than our Cretaceous counterparts?—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But while some of his counterparts have stepped down to avoid rebuilding every year and constantly having to fundraise, Pitino has thrived in it.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The director of aviation, Haley Gentry, makes the most compared to her department colleagues.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
He’s still based at Salt Lake City International, where his 20-year-old daughter works as a TSA agent, and says that seeing his former colleagues struggling is difficult.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Your precise coordinates are never transmitted to or stored by the AJC.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The exact address or coordinates of where the death occurred were also unavailable.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These achievements are linked to the longstanding work between the county, local providers and community partners, officials say.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Israel will be treading over familiar ground in southern Lebanon, enjoys intelligence superiority, operational superiority, and has the backing of partners in Lebanon.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parallels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parallels. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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