parabolic

¹ American  

[par-uh-bol-ik] / ˌpær əˈbɒl ɪk /

adjective

1. having the form or outline of a parabola.

2. having a longitudinal section in the form of a paraboloid or parabola.

   a parabolic reflector.

3. of or relating to a parabola.

---

parabolic ² American  

[par-uh-bol-ik] / ˌpær əˈbɒl ɪk /

Sometimes parabolical

adjective

1. of, relating to, or involving a parable.

---

parabolic ¹ British  

/ ˌpærəˈbɒlɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or shaped like a parabola

2. shaped like a paraboloid

   a parabolic mirror

---

parabolic ² British  

/ ˌpærəˈbɒlɪk /

adjective

1. of or resembling a parable

---

Other Word Forms

• nonparabolical adjective
• nonparabolically adverb
• parabolicalism noun
• parabolically adverb

Etymology

Origin of parabolic¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; parabol(a) + -ic

Origin of parabolic²

1650–60; < Late Latin parabolicus metaphoric < Late Greek parabolikós figurative, equivalent to Greek parabol ( ḗ ) parable + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Something that's parabolic symbolizes something or teaches a simple lesson. Many fables and Bible stories are parabolic. If your grandfather's stories always end with him saying, "And the moral of this story is..." then you can describe them as parabolic. They are parables, in other words, tales that try to teach a moral or religious lesson. Another way to use the adjective parabolic is to mean "like a parabola," or a mathematical curve on a graph. The Greek root of parabolic is parabolikos, "figurative," from parabole, "comparison or parable," or literally "a throwing beside."

Example Sentences

As first-quarter earnings loom “amidst parabolic AI revenue inflections at foundational model leaders,” Citi Research analysts expect the concerns around the durability of business models for software-as-a-service companies to intensify in the months ahead.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Jordi Visser, head of research at 22V, also sees a pullback given silver’s parabolic surge over the past year.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Front-month gold futures continued their parabolic move toward $5,000 a troy ounce, closing Friday at $4,976.20.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

“Silver tends to be a product that goes parabolic, then collapses,” said Brent Donnelly, president of Spectra Markets, a market-research firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

I wasn’t sure where we’d gone since the lessons in parabolic ratios the week before.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• figurative
• metaphorical