as in similar
having qualities in common
parallel lives of two friends who first met in college
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in similarity
a point which two or more things share in common
her professor pointed out some parallels between the two novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in equivalent
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 to match
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parallel
Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
In 1852, Congress appropriated $15,000 for Waukegan Harbor improvements that included a breakwater with an elevated catwalk parallel to the shore to protect the harbor, in addition to navigation aids.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
Matt Abrahams, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
Massive parallel testing means Volvo can work through lots of unusual scenarios.
—Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2025
Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
National extremes The chasm between noteworthy raises and loftier cost-of-living growth across the nation often paralleled the broader economic patterns during these four years.
—Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parallel
Adjective
The army’s investigation and a parallel one by the Shin Bet counterintelligence agency lay out those bodies’ mistakes.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
In 1852, Congress appropriated $15,000 for Waukegan Harbor improvements that included a breakwater with an elevated catwalk parallel to the shore to protect the harbor, in addition to navigation aids.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
Minimally Viable Product and Minimally Viable Communication Several parallels can be found between product development and message development.
—Matt Abrahams, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
Massive parallel testing means Volvo can work through lots of unusual scenarios.
—Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Read David Cole, one of the attorneys who defended them, on how that case parallels the government’s current treatment of Mahmoud Khalil »
Israeli air strikes killed hundreds in Gaza early on Tuesday morning, according to officials there.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
National extremes The chasm between noteworthy raises and loftier cost-of-living growth across the nation often paralleled the broader economic patterns during these four years.
—Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parallel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parallel
Adjective
-
Loyola Chicago took a similar path to the NIT, winning nine of their last 11 games to raise their record from 12-8 to 21-10 before bowing out in the second round of their conference tournament.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The men and women in the study had similar nicotine use, sleep habits, cholesterol levels, and obesity rates.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
Health,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Columbia University law professor Dorothy Lund, who has followed Musk’s career closely, points to the merger’s similarities with a previous Musk deal from around a decade ago: Tesla’s 2016 acquisition of SolarCity, a green energy company run by Musk’s two cousins and backed by Musk.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Because of similarities to motifs found on helmets in eastern Sweden, archaeologists long assumed the Sutton Hoo helmet originated there, too.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
When actions do not match expectations, credibility fades.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Eovaldi tied a Rangers club record with nine strikeouts on Opening Day, matching Lance Lynn’s performance against the Rockies in 2020, and limited the Red Sox to just three hits over six innings.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In Pachter’s comparison, mobile games are analogous to McDonald’s, while Nintendo is the steakhouse.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The league maintains the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Third, Seventh, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits have held that consumers in analogous situations to Salazar suffered no concrete harm when the transmission was non-public.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The pair both wore dapper looks for the occasion — and showed off their striking resemblance to each other.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
The violin maker David Rattray, who did restorations on the instrument in 2016 and published a book on Scottish violin makers, said in an email that the decorations only bore a superficial resemblance to Norwegian Hardanger fiddles, which often sport elaborate pen-and-ink patterns.—
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
He was joined by his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials at Saturday's Reunion of Honor event.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Unlike top Canadian officials, Sheinbaum has so far avoided getting into a war of words with her American counterpart.—
Rafael Romo,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The most far-reaching version of Trump’s strategy would raise the effective, or average, tariff on U.S. imports to about 20%, comparable to the heavy import duties the nation imposed in the 1930s and that contributed to the Great Depression, Zandi said.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
-
There are several solutions Baltimore could implement immediately to fix its open records process, like creating an online request center comparable to most other large cities.—
John Hart,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
When flying, an operator can see a visual feed from the drone camera superimposed onto the 3D map, updating the location and obtaining precise coordinates.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
25 Mar. 2025
-
This individual coordinates and structures the change process.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parallel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parallel. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share