parenthetical

American  

[par-uhn-thet-i-kuhl] / ˌpær ənˈθɛt ɪ kəl /

Also parenthetic

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, noting, or of the nature of a parenthesis.

   several unnecessary parenthetic remarks.

2. characterized by the use of parentheses.

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Other Word Forms

• interparenthetic
  adjective
• interparenthetical
  adjective
• parentheticality
  noun
• parenthetically
  adverb
• parentheticalness
  noun
• unparenthetic
  adjective
• unparenthetical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of parenthetical

First recorded in 1620–30; from Greek parénthet(os) “interpolated” (verbid of parentithénai, equivalent to par- par- + en- en- ² + the-, variant stem of tithénai “to put” + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ic + -al ¹

Explanation

A parenthetical statement is one that explains or qualifies something. You can call such a statement a parenthetical, (especially when it's in parentheses). Have you ever said something like "I'm hungry!" and then added "...but I only want French fries"? That second statement is parenthetical: it clarifies the first statement. Just like words in parentheses (like these words) add clarity to a sentence, parenthetical words in speech help make something clearer or give extra information. You can call these statements (or words that actually are inside parentheses) parentheticals; and while parentheticals aren't the most important ideas, they help support those ideas.