parallel universe

[par-uh-lel yoo-nuh-vurs]

noun

1. Physics.,  any of a hypothetical collection of undetectable universes that are like our known universe but have branched off from our universe due to a quantum-level event.

2. (in cosmology) a hypothetical universe that coexists with our known universe but may operate under fundamentally different laws of physics.

3. Also called alternate universe,. Also called alternative universe. (in science fiction, fantasy, etc.) a separate universe or world that coexists with our known universe but is very different from it.

4. a realm of existence and experience that is fundamentally different from the one that most humans share; a separate reality.

   I don’t understand him—I think he lives in a parallel universe.

Word History and Origins

Origin of parallel universe¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The Chili Peppers sang—“Around the World,” “Parallel Universe,” “Scar Tissue,” “Otherside”—over and over and over.

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It was like you walked into some kind of parallel universe, a place where Scotland were now ruthless and full of running and where New Zealand were hanging on for grim death.

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Even as McMahon has shrunk the Department of Education, she’s operated in what she calls “a parallel universe” to radically shift how children will learn for years to come.

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After all, the entry point to this parallel universe is a tony study inside a well-appointed McMansion.

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Almost as if in a parallel universe, Kennedy told senators on Thursday that his goal was to achieve the same thing, after facing hours of criticism on his vaccine policies.

Read more on Los Angeles Times