analog

1 of 2

adjective

an·​a·​log ˈa-nə-ˌlȯg 

-ˌläg

1

a

: of, relating to, or being a mechanism or device in which information is represented by continuously variable physical quantities

Your speakers are analog technology in all its nearly century-old glory … . As the speakers get their signals from the cables, the drivers vibrate in a continual state of flux as the changing analog signals are fed to them. The drivers are presenting an analogy of what came from the original source, even if the source started off digital, such as a CD.

—Ron Goldberg

b

: of or relating to an analog computer

In an analog machine each number is represented by a suitable physical quantity, whose value, measured in some pre-assigned unit, is equal to the number in question.

—The World Treasury Of Physics

c

of a timepiece : having both hour and minute hands

an analog watch

d

: not digital : not computerized

Of course, it's possible to meet someone online, but it's just as tough as the old, analog ways.

—Anita Hamilton

2

: of, relating to, or being an analogue

analog

2 of 2

noun

an·​a·​log

variant spelling of analogue entry 1

1

: something that is similar or comparable to something else either in general or in some specific detail : something that is analogous to something else

historical analogues to the current situation

an aspirin analogue

2

: an organ or part similar in function to an organ or part of another animal or plant but different in structure and origin

The gill of a fish is the analogue of the lung of a cat.

3

usually analog : a chemical compound that is structurally similar to another but differs slightly in composition (as in the replacement of one atom by an atom of a different element or in the presence of a particular functional group)

4

: a food product made by combining a less expensive food (such as soybeans or whitefish) with additives to give the appearance and taste of a more expensive food (such as beef or crab)

Examples of analog in a Sentence

Adjective

Telephone lines carry data in analog form.

It receives an analog video signal and converts it to a digital signal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The price isn't too different, yet the Mini Evo is more capable, especially since the Mini 90 is fully analog. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024

Note that these ideas are completely analog, which is great for your creative juices if you’re glued to a screen for most of the time. —Janine MacLachlan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

With analog hands, a dive watch style with a rotating bezel, and a crown, the Scanwatch doesn't look out of place at more formal events. —Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 28 June 2023

There are so many analog treasures stuffed into this place; there is so much loving curation. —The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024

The special was finally filmed at Manhattan’s Town Hall in June 2023, on a bare stage with camera and lighting work inspired by the analog look of Richard Pryor’s and George Carlin’s old specials from the 1970s. —Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024

Traditional processing units on board, coupled with some static RAM, help control the flow of this communication and handled translation between the analog and digital portions of the chip. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 23 Aug. 2023

In just over two decades, bikes have gone from almost totally analog to rolling computers, and there’s been a level of innovation the likes of which has never been experienced before within the industry. —Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024

That threat is existential and highly documented: namely, the digital revolution has done to the analog world of art, media and communication what the industrial revolution did to agrarian and handicraft economies a century before. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024

Noun

In the analog era, changing prices was costly, requiring manually updating signs or applying markdown stickers. —Lydia Depillis Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Then again, when one is willing to engage with this gear-and-pinion mindset, such discoveries have the ability to cast a joyful sort of analog light on an increasingly cold, efficient electronic world. —Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024

But as the series continued to pump out installments across multiple decades, the artistry and imagination of Toho’s creative team brought the art of analog effects to exciting — and sometimes downright beautiful — heights. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024

In today’s pixel-eat-pixel world where VFX and CGI rule the roost, these fearless performers may seem like an anomaly — a throwback to an analog era where actual humans [gasp] had to provide the thrills and spills that are a key part of cinema’s DNA. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024

The adapter is sold on its own and in bundles with certain models of Yamaha analog mixing consoles. —Rob Wile, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024

Last year’s very active season also had no perfect analog. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024

Lenker recorded the album in an analog studio in the woods with collaborators Philip Weinrobe, Mat Davidson, Josefin Runsteen, and Nick Hakim. —Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024

Reconfigurable transistors open up possibilities for hardware security solutions, novel applications in analog circuits, and advancements in neuromorphic computing, enabling self-learning and adaptive systems, according to Wind. —IEEE Spectrum, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from attributive use of analogue entry 1; (sense 1) after analog computer, in which physical quantities (as electrical potential or mechanical motion) are analogues of corresponding quantities in the problem to be solved

First Known Use

Adjective

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing analog

• analog computer