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
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
However, one parenthetical seemed like an unfair characterization.
—The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
The parenthetical statements are in Stevens’ complaint.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
Hence, the parenthetical dating throughout the lyrics as those memories pop in & out.
—Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 17 Nov. 2023
Although that parenthetical has been excised from the final product, the reasoning for it has not.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 31 May 2023
But the parenthetical after the egg complicates matters.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 May 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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
However, one parenthetical seemed like an unfair characterization.
—The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
The parenthetical statements are in Stevens’ complaint.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
Hence, the parenthetical dating throughout the lyrics as those memories pop in & out.
—Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 17 Nov. 2023
Although that parenthetical has been excised from the final product, the reasoning for it has not.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 31 May 2023
But the parenthetical after the egg complicates matters.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near parenthetical
Cite this Entry
“Parenthetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parenthetical. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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