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
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 either relates to a simple story used to teach a moral lesson (a parable) or resembles the U-shaped curve found in math and physics (a parabola). If your grandfather's stories always end with him saying, "And the moral of this story is..." then you can describe his stories 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.
Koss has no plans to trade bitcoin again any time soon, saying he believes the asset has matured to a point where explosive, parabolic gains are a thing of the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The fact that they’ve moved up together “marks a period of extremely aggressive buying, culminating in a parabolic uptrend,” Adam Turnquist, chief market strategist at LPL Financial, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Interlune has tested some of its equipment during parabolic flights, in which a plane flies in a big arc to simulate zero gravity.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
From the Eighth Avenue entrance, passengers will descend sweeping staircases into a parabolic main hall whose soft curve contrasts with the structure’s overall solidity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
I wasn’t sure where we’d gone since the lessons in parabolic ratios the week before.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
