What does "parallel" mean?
One of a set of parallel lines.
Parallel
/ˈpar(ə)ləl/ adj, adv, noun, verb
adj, adv, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of a set of parallel lines.
- Grammar: parallel is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: analogue, abri, accessory, accompanying.
- Useful contrasts: antiparallel, perpendicular, skew.
- Usage evidence: The parallel with English becomes even more striking when we realize that Latin continued to be used for many hundreds of years more as the world's first "international language."
How to use "parallel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "parallel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "parallel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "parallel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "parallel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "parallel" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "analogue" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "parallel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One of a set of parallel lines.
"Who made the spider parallels design, / Sure as De Moivre, without rule or line?"
- 2 something having the property of being analogous to something else wordnet
- 3 Direction conformable to that of another line.
"lines that from their parallel decline"
- 4 an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator wordnet
- 5 A line of latitude.
"The 31st parallel passes through the center of my town."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 (mathematics) one of a set of parallel geometric figures (parallel lines or planes) wordnet
- 7 An arrangement of electrical components such that a current flows along two or more paths; see in parallel.
- 8 Something identical or similar in essential respects.
"It has also been suggested that environmental crimes might include the proposed crime of ‘ecocide’ or ‘geocide’, with proponents of this view attempting to draw parallels between destructive acts towards the environment and those against the qualifying groups for genocide. […] [M]any who advocate for the creation of either ecocide or geocide principally argue that the best place to try such crimes is through an apparatus created in a separate and environment-oriented treaty."
- 9 A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity.
"Johnson's parallel between Dryden and Pope"
- 10 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.
- 11 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
- 1 To construct or place something parallel to something else.
"The needle […] doth parallel and place itself upon the true meridian."
- 2 make or place parallel to something wordnet
- 3 Of a path etc: To be parallel to something else.
"Archaic covered bridges lingered fearsomely out of the past in pockets of the hills, and the half-abandoned railway track paralleling the river seemed to exhale a nebulously visible air of desolation."
- 4 be parallel to wordnet
- 5 Of a process etc: To be analogous to something else.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 duplicate or match wordnet
- 7 To compare or liken something to something else.
"Although its spokesmen do not hesitate to parallel their oppression to that of blacks, the gay male community has chosen to ignore the voices of black gay men."
- 8 To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, etc.
"[H]is life is paralel’d / Euen with the ſtroke and line of his great Iuſtice: […]"
- 9 To equal; to match; to correspond to.
"He will ſteale ſir an Egge out of a Cloiſter: for rapes and rauiſhments he paralels Neſſus."
- 10 To produce or adduce as a parallel.
"Macb[eth]. ’Twas a rough Night. / Lenox. My young remembrance cannot paralell / A fellow to it."
Adjective
- 1 Equally distant from one another at all points. not-comparable
"The horizontal lines on my notebook paper are parallel."
- 2 Having the same overall direction; the comparison is indicated with "to". not-comparable
"The two railway lines are parallel."
- 3 Either not intersecting, or coinciding. excessive, not-comparable
- 4 Involving the processing of multiple tasks at the same time. not-comparable
"a parallel algorithm"
- 5 Analogous, similar, comparable. figuratively, not-comparable
"the parallel lives of two citizens"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Coexisting but normally not interacting with the regular reality. not-comparable, usually
"parallel universe"
Adjective
- 1 being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting wordnet
- 2 of or relating to the simultaneous performance of multiple operations wordnet
Adverb
- 1 With a parallel relationship.
"The road runs parallel to the canal."
Example
"The parallel with English becomes even more striking when we realize that Latin continued to be used for many hundreds of years more as the world's first "international language.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "parallel"?
Common synonyms include: analogue, abri, accessory, accompanying, accord, according.
How do you use "parallel" in a sentence?
The parallel with English becomes even more striking when we realize that Latin continued to be used for many hundreds of years more as the world's first "international language."
How do you pronounce "parallel"?
Pronounced /ˈpar(ə)ləl/.
Etymology
From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. By surface analysis, par- + all- + -el.