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
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
What remain enduringly relevant are the book’s insights into the nature of design innovation, which Jencks described as analogous to biological evolution, a constant flow of emergent, divergent, and convergent streams.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
In our model, the flow of traffic over a network of roads is analogous to the flow of fluids over a surface—motions that are governed by the laws of fluid dynamics.
—Steve Nadis, Wired News, 1 June 2025
These forces would be connected through a resilient communications network analogous to the nuclear command, control, and communications system.
—Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The work of flattening out three-dimensional sculpture into a two-dimensional painting was analogous to intellectualizing and abstracting Blackness as media became more mobile in the early twentieth century.
—Delinda Collier, Artforum, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for analogous
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Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
In our model, the flow of traffic over a network of roads is analogous to the flow of fluids over a surface—motions that are governed by the laws of fluid dynamics.
—Steve Nadis, Wired News, 1 June 2025
These forces would be connected through a resilient communications network analogous to the nuclear command, control, and communications system.
—Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
The work of flattening out three-dimensional sculpture into a two-dimensional painting was analogous to intellectualizing and abstracting Blackness as media became more mobile in the early twentieth century.
—Delinda Collier, Artforum, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for analogous
Cite this Entry
“Analogous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analogous. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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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