- of, relating to, or shaped like a parabola
- shaped like a paraboloid: a parabolic mirror
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
par•a•bol•ic1
(par′ə bol′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
par•a•bol•ic2 (par′ə bol′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
par′a•bol′i•cal•ism, n.
par′a•bol′i•cal•ly, adv.
- Mathematicshaving the form or outline of a parabola.
- Mathematicshaving a longitudinal section in the form of a paraboloid or parabola:a parabolic reflector.
- Mathematicsof, pertaining to, or resembling a parabola.
- parabol(a) + -ic 1695–1705
par•a•bol•ic2 (par′ə bol′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
- of, pertaining to, or involving a parable.
- Late Greek parabolikós figurative, equivalent. to Greek parabol(é̄) parable + -ikos -ic
- Late Latin parabolicus metaphoric
- 1650–60
par′a•bol′i•cal•ly, adv.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
parabolic /ˌpærəˈbɒlɪk/ adj
parabolic /ˌpærəˈbɒlɪk/, parabolical /ˌpærəˈbɒlɪkəl/ adj
- of or resembling a parable
'parabolical' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):