ENGLISH
REFERENCE

parallel

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈpɛɹəˌɫɛɫ// UK //pˈæɹəlˌɛl// par·al·lel Academic General-service

n. a similarity between two different things or situations. You use this when you want to show how two separate events are like each other.

n. a point of similarity or correspondence between two distinct things, people, or events. Often used to draw comparisons between historical periods or different systems of thought.


SIMPLE

There is a clear parallel between these two stories.

CONTEXTUAL

Economists often draw a parallel between the current market crash and the financial crisis of the late 1920s.

COMPLEX

While the two cultures developed on opposite sides of the globe, historians have noted a striking parallel in their early agricultural techniques and social hierarchies.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. By surface analysis, par- + all- + -el.

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'draw' and the preposition 'between'.

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