parabolic
1 Americanadjective
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having the form or outline of a parabola.
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having a longitudinal section in the form of a paraboloid or parabola.
a parabolic reflector.
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of or relating to a parabola.
adjective
adjective
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of, relating to, or shaped like a parabola
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shaped like a paraboloid
a parabolic mirror
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The parabolic performance of his hedge fund has given the 24-year-old Aschenbrenner a fan club on Wall Street, too.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“Anytime you see parabolic moves or linear vertical moves, that’s telling you that it’s less about a sober assessment of a company’s prospects on a straight valuation basis than it is about people chasing momentum.”
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Many disagree, arguing that aggressive expectations for earnings growth can in part justify the parabolic move higher in semiconductor names and other hot stocks.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
"Demand has gone parabolic," chief executive Jensen Huang told analysts on a conference call.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Nevertheless, his idealized parabolic trajectory in a vacuum was an essential precondition for the much more sophisticated analysis by Robins and Euler of actual trajectories.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
