parallel

noun

An arrangement of electrical components such that a current flows along two or more paths; see in parallel.

Something identical or similar in essential respects.

A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity.

Direction conformable to that of another line.

One of a set of parallel lines.

(geography) A line of latitude.

(military) One of a series of long trenches constructed before a besieged fortress, by the besieging force, as a cover for troops supporting the attacking batteries. They are roughly parallel to the line of outer defenses of the fortress.

(printing) A character consisting of two parallel vertical lines, used in the text to direct attention to a similarly marked note in the margin or at the foot of a page.

verb

To equal; to match; to correspond to.

To compare or liken something to something else.

Of a process etc: To be analogous to something else.

To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, etc.

To construct or place something parallel to something else.

Of a path etc: To be parallel to something else.

To produce or adduce as a parallel.

adjective

Equally distant from one another at all points.

Having the same overall direction; the comparison is indicated with "to".

(figuratively) Analogous, similar, comparable.

(science fiction, of realities, dimensions, timelines, etc.) Coexisting but normally not interacting with the regular reality.

(computing) Involving the processing of multiple tasks at the same time.

(hyperbolic geometry, said of a pair of lines) Either not intersecting, or coinciding.

adverb

With a parallel relationship.

Roots

parapara- · Greek · beside, beyond allelon-llel · Greek · one another

Synonyms for parallel

parallelismn parallelizev collimatev concurrentadj simultaneousadj equidistantadj analogousadj latituden coincidentadj twinadj

Synonyms & related words for parallel

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of parallel — including parallelism, parallelize, collimate, concurrent, simultaneous, equidistant. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to parallel

Explore words related to parallel — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include parallelistic, nonintersecting, subparallel, nonparallel, parallelization, antiparallel, intersecting, perpendicular. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for parallel

Common synonyms for parallel include parallelism, parallelize, collimate, concurrent, simultaneous, equidistant, analogous, latitude — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does parallel come from?

The word parallel breaks down into 2 roots of Greek origin: para-, from Greek para (“beside, beyond”); and -llel, from Greek allelon (“one another”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.