serial

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsɪɹ.i.əl/ UK /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

cereal /ˈsɪɹ.i.əl/

Freq #3752

Meanings

1

adj
Arranged in or forming a series; happening one after another.

The concerts were held on serial nights, one after the other.
2

adj
Doing the same bad thing again and again.

The serial killer had a string of victims across seven states.
3

noun
A number or code, especially one needed to activate a piece of software.

You must enter the serial to install the program.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · arranged in or forming a... sequential consecutive

Word family

Forms seriallyserials

Derived forms biserialminiserialmultiserialnonserialpauciserialpolyserialpostserialquadriserialquinqueserialrectiserialserialiseserialism

Related forms fascicleseriate seriatim seriation series

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

Etymology

Formed as series + -al, on model of Latin seriālis, from seriēs + -ālis. Cognate to Italian seriale. First use appears c. 1823. See cite below.

seriālis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Film & Television

External links

# serial

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪɹ.i.əl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əl/
**Frequency rank:** 3752

## Meanings
1. Arranged in or forming a series; happening one after another.
2. Doing the same bad thing again and again.
3. A number or code, especially one needed to activate a piece of software.

## Examples
- The concerts were held on serial nights, one after the other.
- The serial killer had a string of victims across seven states.
- You must enter the serial to install the program.

## Derived Forms
- biserial
- miniserial
- multiserial
- nonserial
- pauciserial
- polyserial
- postserial
- quadriserial
- quinqueserial
- rectiserial
- serialise
- serialism

## Related Forms
- fascicle
- seriate
- seriatim
- seriation
- series

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: seriālis

## Etymology
Formed as series + -al, on model of Latin seriālis, from seriēs + -ālis. Cognate to Italian seriale. First use appears c. 1823. See cite below.

## AI Etymology
Serial: Formed as series + -al, on model of Latin seriālis, from seriēs + -ālis. Cognate to Italian seriale. First use appears c. 1823. See cite below. Important forms in the word's history include Latin seriālis. In current use it includes senses such as Arranged in or forming a series; happening one after another and Doing the same bad thing again and again.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Film & Television

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