WordVale

parallel

/ˈpærəlel/  ·  say it: PAR·uh·lel

corresponding or closely analogous; running side by side without meeting

In Describing & Comparing

In more detail

1. (adjective) (of lines or surfaces) never meeting or touching, always the same distance apart

2. (adjective) similar or happening at the same time in a related way

3. (noun) a person or thing that is similar to another

4. (noun) a line of latitude on the earth's surface

Examples

• 1. The two railway tracks run parallel to each other.
• 2. Our experiences were parallel—we both studied abroad and started careers in the same year.
• 3. There is a parallel between the two novels in how they explore family relationships.

Nearby in Describing & Comparing

identical, analogous, divergent, contrasting, comparable, labyrinthine