serial
serial Lexical Profile
serial Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Consisting of, forming part of, or taking place in a series or regular sequence rather than all at once.
"Please record the serial number located on the back of your laptop for warranty registration."
Repeatedly committing the same offense or engaging in a particular behavior by habit.
"As a serial entrepreneur, she has founded and sold four software companies over the past decade."
Published, broadcast, or presented in separate, regular installments.
"Many nineteenth-century novels first appeared as serial publications in monthly literary magazines."
• noun
A dramatic work, story, or television or radio program published or broadcast in regular, sequential installments.
"Families in the 1940s would gather around the radio every evening to listen to their favorite mystery serial."
A periodical publication, such as an academic journal, magazine, or newspaper, issued in successive parts at regular intervals.
"The university library subscribes to thousands of scientific serials in both print and digital formats."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'serial' (occurring in a series or sequence) with its homophone 'cereal' (edible grain or a breakfast food made from it).
• Rhymes for serial
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century from the noun 'series' plus the suffix '-al', ultimately tracing back to the Latin verb 'serere', meaning 'to join, link, or bind together'.