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parabolic

/ˌpɛrəˈbɑlɪk/
IPA guide

Other forms: parabolically

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."

Definitions of parabolic
  1. adjective
    resembling or expressed by a short story with a moral or lesson
    synonyms: parabolical
  2. adjective
    having the form of a parabola
    synonyms: parabolical
    rounded
    curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
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