parallelism
gb/pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/ us/pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
relation
1
similarity between separate things
a clear similarity between two things
Usage pattern:
[a/the] parallelism between [things]; parallelism in/of [features]
Common mistake:
In everyday speech, similarity or parallel is often more natural. Do not use parallelism to mean one parallel line.
Synonyms
similarity (broader and more everyday)
|
correspondence (emphasizes matching features or relationships)
|
analogy (often used for a comparison that explains something)
Antonyms
difference (general lack of likeness)
|
divergence (development or movement in different directions)
Collocations
striking parallelism
|close parallelism
|clear parallelism
|historical parallelism
|structural parallelism
|parallelism between
|parallelism in
|show parallelism
|suggest parallelism
|lack of parallelism
Themes
comparison
|analysis
|writing
Examples
- Critics have noticed a strong parallelism between the novel's opening and final chapters.
- The report points to a troubling parallelism in the economic problems facing both cities.
- There is no exact parallelism between the two legal systems, but the comparison is useful.
Learner examples
- There is a clear parallelism between the two stories.
- The teacher showed the parallelism between the paintings.
Noun
technical
C1
abstract
2
repeated matching sentence structure
using the same grammar pattern in several parts of a sentence or text
Usage pattern:
parallelism in [a sentence/speech/poem]; use parallelism to [do something]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse this with parallel lines in geometry; this meaning is about matching grammar or style.
Synonyms
parallel structure (more common in writing instruction)
|
symmetry (broader; suggests balanced form)
|
repetition (broader; may repeat words, sounds, or ideas rather than structure)
Antonyms
asymmetry (lack of balanced matching structure)
|
variation (deliberate difference instead of repeated pattern)
Collocations
syntactic parallelism
|grammatical parallelism
|rhetorical parallelism
|biblical parallelism
|use parallelism
|create parallelism
|parallelism and repetition
|parallelism in a sentence
|parallelism in poetry
Themes
writing
|literature
|rhetoric
|grammar
Examples
- The slogan uses parallelism: "safe streets, strong schools, and fair taxes."
- Her essay became more persuasive after she added parallelism to the list of demands.
- Biblical poetry often relies on parallelism, with one line echoing or contrasting with the next.
Learner examples
- The sentence "I like running, swimming, and reading" has parallelism.
- Parallelism can make a speech easier to remember.
Noun
technical
C1
process
3
simultaneous computer processing
when a computer does several pieces of work at the same time
Usage pattern:
exploit/increase [parallelism]; [type/degree] of parallelism
Common mistake:
Parallelism is not exactly the same as concurrency: concurrency can mean tasks are interleaved, while parallelism usually means they actually run at the same time.
Synonyms
parallel processing (emphasizes the method of processing at the same time)
|
simultaneous execution (descriptive technical phrase)
|
concurrency (related, but can include interleaved execution rather than true simultaneous execution)
Antonyms
serial execution (operations happen one after another)
|
sequential processing (processing follows a fixed sequence rather than occurring simultaneously)
Collocations
data parallelism
|task parallelism
|instruction-level parallelism
|exploit parallelism
|increase parallelism
|available parallelism
|fine-grained parallelism
|coarse-grained parallelism
|degree of parallelism
|parallelism overhead
Themes
computing
|software
|performance
Examples
- The new algorithm gains speed by exploiting parallelism across several processor cores.
- Too much synchronization can reduce parallelism and slow the program down.
- Graphics chips are designed for a high degree of parallelism.
Learner examples
- Parallelism helps the program run faster.
- The computer uses parallelism to do many tasks at once.
Noun
technical
C1
property
4
state of lines being parallel
the condition of two lines or surfaces being parallel
Usage pattern:
parallelism of/between [lines/planes/surfaces]
Common mistake:
Parallelism is the property. A single line is not a parallelism; it is parallel to another line.
Synonyms
being parallel (plain, nontechnical phrasing)
|
parallel relation (emphasizes the relationship between objects)
Antonyms
nonparallelism (direct technical opposite; uncommon in everyday use)
|
intersection (lines or planes meet rather than remaining apart)
Collocations
parallelism of lines
|parallelism of planes
|geometric parallelism
|prove parallelism
|test for parallelism
|condition for parallelism
|maintain parallelism
Themes
mathematics
|geometry
Examples
- In this proof, students must show the parallelism of the two opposite sides.
- The surveyor checked the parallelism of the rails over the full length of the track.
- The condition for parallelism is that the two lines have the same slope.
Learner examples
- The two lines have parallelism because they never meet.
- The diagram shows the parallelism of the sides.
Grammar
Dictionary form
parallelism
IPA
GB/pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
US/pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
Syllables & stress
par - al - lel - ism (4 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (par)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: parallelism
- Plural: parallelism, parallelisms
Expressions
data parallelism
1/dˈætə pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
technical
same operation on data parts
doing the same computer operation on many pieces of data at once
Examples
- The image-processing code uses data parallelism, applying the same filter to many pixels at once.
- GPUs are well suited to data parallelism because they can run one operation across large arrays.
instruction-level parallelism
1/ɪnstɹˈʌkʃən lˈɛvəl pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
technical
CPU instructions overlap
when a CPU handles several small instructions at the same time
Examples
- Modern processors use instruction-level parallelism to overlap simple operations inside the CPU.
- The compiler can sometimes expose more instruction-level parallelism by reordering instructions safely.
massive parallelism
1/mˈæsɪv pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
technical
large-scale simultaneous processing
using a very large number of parallel operations at once
Examples
- Modern neural-network training depends on massive parallelism across thousands of GPU cores.
- DNA sequencing platforms achieve massive parallelism by reading millions of fragments at once.
task parallelism
1/tˈæsk pˈɛɹəlˌɛlˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
technical
different tasks run together
when a computer runs different jobs at the same time
Examples
- The server uses task parallelism: one thread reads requests while another writes results to the database.
- Task parallelism is useful when a program has several independent jobs to do.