How to use "parenthetically"

What Does "parenthetically" Mean?

• Grammatical function: This adverbial connective expresses addition or digression. It indicates that the information provided is an aside, a clarification, or an incidental comment that is not strictly necessary to the main logical flow of the sentence.
• Typical sentence position: It is highly versatile and can appear in the initial, medial, or final position.
• Register: Primarily formal and academic. It is frequently found in journalism, legal writing, and scholarly articles.

How to Use It

• Syntactic patterns: It often modifies a verb of communication (e.g., "he added parenthetically") or functions as a disjunct at the start of a clause to frame the entire statement as an aside.
• Punctuation rules: When used at the start of a sentence or as an interruption, it is typically set off by commas. If it describes the literal placement of text within parentheses, it may not require extra commas.
• Grammatical flexibility: It can be moved easily within a sentence without changing the core meaning. It is rarely negated (e.g., "non-parenthetically" is almost never used).
• What sounds unnatural: Using it for vital, core information sounds contradictory, as the word implies the content is secondary or optional.

Real-World Examples

These examples are sourced from parenthetically on Ludwig.guru.

"It should be mentioned parenthetically that the field concept also plays (in varied forms) a pivotal role in modern theories of particles and forces." — britannica.com

"However, I've come to believe after many years of working in America's political process — I would add parenthetically add that I'm a recovering politician now, on about step nine — I've come to see it and the world's political system as having at least one thing in common with the climate system: it's non-linear." — newyorker.com

"Parenthetically, it's impossible for me not to sympathize with him." — newyorker.com

"The country is often referred to by its acronym, the DRC, or called Congo (Kinshasa), with the capital added parenthetically, to distinguish it from the other Congo republic, which is officially called the Republic of the Congo and is often referred to as Congo (Brazzaville)." — britannica.com

"On Monday, almost parenthetically, he slipped in the fact that the Giants' defense ranks 28th in the N.F.L. — the Jets', by contrast, ranks seventh — while also alluding to the Giants' recent second-half slides." — nytimes.com

Examples sourced from https://ludwig.guru/s/parenthetically

Similar Phrases and Alternatives

Phrase	Context
incidentally	Neutral to informal; used to introduce a new but related point.
by the way	Informal; common in speech to introduce a tangential thought.
in passing	Neutral; suggests a brief mention without deep detail.
as an aside	Formal/Neutral; explicitly marks a departure from the main topic.
tangentially	Formal; suggests the information is only slightly related to the subject.
en passant	Very formal/Literary; a French loanword meaning "in passing."

Common Mistakes

• Wrong Register: Learners often use it as a synonym for 'incidentally' in casual speech, whereas it is primarily reserved for formal, written registers.
• Redundancy: Placing the word parenthetically inside actual parentheses (e.g., "(Parenthetically, I should note...)") is often redundant, as the punctuation already conveys the meaning.
• Misplacement: Placing it too far from the verb it modifies (like "add" or "mention") can lead to confusion about which part of the sentence is intended as the aside.

Quick-Reference Summary

Expression	Function	Register	Typical Position
parenthetically	Addition/Digression	Formal	Medial or Initial

FAQs

Where in a sentence can parenthetically appear

The word parenthetically can occupy several positions, including sentence-initial to frame an entire statement as an aside or mid-clause to modify a specific verb. When used in the medial position, it is often surrounded by commas or dashes to signal the interruption. It can also appear at the end of a clause to describe how a specific piece of information was just presented.

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What is the difference between parenthetically and incidentally

While both terms introduce extra information, parenthetically is strictly formal and often refers to the structural way information is inserted into a text. Incidentally is more common in neutral or informal speech and suggests a spontaneous connection between ideas. You would use parenthetically in an academic essay, but incidentally when chatting with a colleague.

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Is it appropriate to use parenthetically in casual conversation

Learners often use it as a synonym for incidentally in casual speech, whereas it is primarily reserved for formal and written registers. In an everyday conversation, using this adverb can sound overly stiff or academic. It is better to opt for phrases like by the way or as an aside when speaking informally.