analogous
adjective
anal·o·gous
ə-ˈna-lə-gəs 
: similar or comparable to something else either in general or in some specific detail
Timbre in music is analogous to color in painting.—
Aaron Copland
Aaron CoplandAn airplane's joystick is somewhat analogous to the reins on a horse.
: similar in a way that invites comparison : showing an analogy or a likeness that permits one to draw an analogy
a town council and a government body that serves an analogous function
analogously
adverb
analogousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of analogous in a Sentence
… gluons, force particles analogous to the photons of electromagnetism.
—Andrew Watson, Science, 22 Jan. 1999
… great stretches of algae, analogous to terrestrial woodlands, in which kelp fills the role of trees.
—William K. Stevens, New York Times, 5 Jan. 1999
… not by means superior to, though analogous with, human reason …
—Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859
Andrew Watson, Science, 22 Jan. 1999
… great stretches of algae, analogous to terrestrial woodlands, in which kelp fills the role of trees.
—William K. Stevens, New York Times, 5 Jan. 1999
… not by means superior to, though analogous with, human reason …
—Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859
Recent Examples on the Web
Abela grew up near Brighton in a Jewish family in an analogous situation to Winehouse.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
Various organisms secrete fluids that are directly analogous to milk and used to nourish offspring in exactly the same way.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024
To demonstrate that, the government must put forth laws that are analogous to the modern-day measure at issue.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Notes are sounded by the flexing and releasing of abdominal muscles, a system somewhat analogous to the one used by a steel-drum set.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 7 May 2024
Polynomials are closely related to ideas from geometry, yet over the finite field with two elements, their arithmetic becomes loosely analogous to the arithmetic of whole numbers — opening up the possibility that in this setting, visual intuition can be applied to questions in number theory.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2024
Indeed, carbon capture and sequestration is analogous to scrubbers – devices that the EPA has required for decades to remove pollutants such as fine particulates, sulfur dioxide and mercury from power plant smokestacks.
—Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024
In these systems, circuit components called neurons—analogous to neurons in the human brain—are fed data and cooperate to solve a problem, such as recognizing faces.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Apr. 2024
Though the situations are not exactly analogous, the inability to talk to more than one guild at a time may have been a factor in prolonging the strikes last year.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
Various organisms secrete fluids that are directly analogous to milk and used to nourish offspring in exactly the same way.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024
To demonstrate that, the government must put forth laws that are analogous to the modern-day measure at issue.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Notes are sounded by the flexing and releasing of abdominal muscles, a system somewhat analogous to the one used by a steel-drum set.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 7 May 2024
Polynomials are closely related to ideas from geometry, yet over the finite field with two elements, their arithmetic becomes loosely analogous to the arithmetic of whole numbers — opening up the possibility that in this setting, visual intuition can be applied to questions in number theory.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 6 May 2024
Indeed, carbon capture and sequestration is analogous to scrubbers – devices that the EPA has required for decades to remove pollutants such as fine particulates, sulfur dioxide and mercury from power plant smokestacks.
—Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024
In these systems, circuit components called neurons—analogous to neurons in the human brain—are fed data and cooperate to solve a problem, such as recognizing faces.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Apr. 2024
Though the situations are not exactly analogous, the inability to talk to more than one guild at a time may have been a factor in prolonging the strikes last year.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'analogous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near analogous
Cite this Entry
“Analogous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analogous. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
analogous
adjective
anal·o·gous
ə-ˈnal-ə-gəs
1
: showing analogy : similar
the two stories are analogous
2
: related by analogy
analogously
adverb
analogousness
noun
Medical Definition
analogous
adjective
anal·o·gous
ə-ˈnal-ə-gəs
: having similar function but a different structure and origin
analogous organs
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