parallelism
noun
par·al·lel·ism
ˈper-ə-ˌle-ˌli-zəm
-lə-ˌli-,
ˈpa-rə-
1
: the quality or state of being parallel
the parallelism of architectural figures
2
: resemblance, correspondence
parallelism between obesity and hypertension—H. M. Marvin
3
: repeated syntactical similarities introduced for rhetorical effect
biblical poetry relies largely on parallelism of lines—E. P. Sanders
4
: a theory that mind and matter accompany one another but are not causally related
5
: the independent development of similar traits or features (as of body structure or behavior) in different species or lineages that have common ancestry and that typically occupy similar environments or ecological niches : parallel evolution
Cite this Entry
“Parallelism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parallelism. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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