parallel universe

American  

[par-uh-lel yoo-nuh-vurs] / ˈpær əˌlɛl ˈju nəˌvɜrs /

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, 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.

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Etymology

Origin of parallel universe

First recorded in 1920–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parallel universe

Smacking his head on a lamppost while chasing one woman and ogling another, Damien is transported to a parallel universe in which women don’t just run the world, the nature of the sexes has flipped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Of course, no influencer plot would be complete without the threat of online cancellation — and just when things can’t get any worse, Natalie enters the parallel universe of the past.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

Rodeo FX worked on seasons four and five of the Netflix show that follows a group of teenagers in small town America as they take on supernatural creatures and a parallel universe.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

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

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2025

What is this amazing cyberspace that has become a kind of parallel universe?

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

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