parenthesis
5 synonyms for parenthesis, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence as an aside or explanation, usually set off by brackets, commas or dashes.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A word, phrase or clause inserted into a sentence as an aside or explanation, usually set off by brackets, commas or dashes.
“The phrase "as far as I know" is a parenthesis in the middle of her sentence.”
2. noun
Either of a pair of round brackets used to enclose extra text or to group terms in an expression.
“Close the parenthesis after the last number.”
How to use parenthesis
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
In everyday British English people usually say brackets for the punctuation marks.
Etymology
English borrowed the word from Late Latin parenthesis, which came from Koine Greek. The Greek word was built from parts meaning beside, in and placing. The plural, parentheses, was borrowed from Late Latin in the same way.
Full origin of parenthesis →