Showing results for "analog"

• a variation of analogue.

analog

American  

[an-l-awg, -og] / ˈæn lˌɔg, -ˌɒg /

noun

analogs plural

1. analogue.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a mechanism, device, or technology that represents data by measurement of a continuous physical variable, as voltage or pressure.

2. displaying a readout by a pointer or hands on a dial rather than by numerical digits.

   an analog clock.

3. relating to or denoting an activity, process, etc., that is not online or computerized but that can also exist or happen with the help of such technology: She prefers analog dating, meeting and getting to know someone first in a real-life setting before deciding whether to pursue a personal relationship.

   In most ways, the grocery industry has remained stubbornly analog for the past few decades.

   She prefers analog dating, meeting and getting to know someone first in a real-life setting before deciding whether to pursue a personal relationship.

analog British  

/ ˈænəˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of analogue

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analog Scientific  

/ ăn′ə-lôg′ /

1. Measuring or representing data by means of one or more physical properties that can express any value along a continuous scale. For example, the position of the hands of a clock is an analog representation of time.

2. Compare digital

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1. An organ or structure that is similar in function to one in another kind of organism but is of dissimilar evolutionary origin. The wings of birds and the wings of insects are analogs.

2. A chemical compound that has a similar structure and similar chemical properties to those of another compound, but differs from it by a single element or group. The antibiotic amoxicillin, for example, is an analog of penicillin, differing from the latter by the addition of an amino group.

3. Compare homologue

Usage

The spelling analog is a US variant of analogue in all its senses, and is also the generally preferred spelling in the computer industry

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• analogs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of analog

First recorded in 1955–60; see origin at analogue ( def. )

Explanation

Analog is the opposite of digital. Any technology, such as vinyl records or clocks with hands and faces, that doesn't break everything down into binary code to work is analog. Analog, you might say, is strictly old school. The original definition of analog is something that is similar to something else; the two are said to be analogous. In technological terms, it means something that has an output that's proportional or similar to its input — usually a voltage. Anything digital is the exact opposite: whatever comes out the other end bears no relationship to the soup of binary code that goes in. The word can also be spelled analogue.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

analog analogs

Texas Instruments shares were falling while STMicroelectronics stock was diving on Thursday, after both makers of analog semiconductors struggled to meet heightened expectations after reporting strong demand in the second quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

The shuttle greatly increases both the speed and efficiency of triplet energy transfer compared with a methylated analog that does not contain the proton shuttle.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Bean could see that the future of mail-order retail was online, even if many of their customers remained staunchly analog.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

“What it’s all about is expanding that sense of scope and horizon, the analog color, that sense of immersion.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

For flat runs, he had the Norden bombsight, an extremely sophisticated analog computer that, at $8,000, cost more than twice the price of the average American home.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Courts and litigants have spent years searching for historical analogs, debating how close is close enough and struggling to determine when a modern regulation meaningfully resembles something from the founding era.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

Citi’s global macro strategy team led by Dirk Willer went in search of historical analogs, looking through the last five oil crises.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026

In addition to increasing the release of insulin and slowing stomach emptying, GLP-1 analogs are thought to impact the brain’s reward circuits, leading to fewer cravings and decreased use.

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024

These filaments also had earthly analogs, and Siegelman used Juno's detailed imagery to study whether this similarity to our planet's oceanic and atmospheric processes was merely skin deep.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024

Some of the operations of tensor calculus have analogs in algebra; many do not.

From Fifty Per Cent Prophet by Garrett, Randall

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