Series: Definition, Usage & Key Examples

Meaning 1：a set in order (series)

series 🔊

/ˈsɪəriːz/

A number of similar or related things coming one after another.

Series definition illustrated with three numbered books in a row on a shelf

a set in order 🔊

➕

ə sɛt ɪn ˈɔːrdər

Refers to multiple similar or related items that follow one another in a sequence, often presented as a connected group.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Derived from Latin 'serere' (to join), via Late Latin 'series' (a row, chain). The core idea is of things joined in sequence.

💡 Mnemonic

Remember: 'Series' is the same whether you have one or many – think of a TV series with multiple seasons, but it's still called 'a series'. This uniqueness helps avoid confusion.

📖 Example

I just finished watching the first series of that detective show, and I can't wait to start the next one. 🔊 I have just completed viewing the initial installment of that detective program, and I am eager to begin the subsequent one.

🔗 Collocations

TV series – A set of television programs with a continuing story.

a series of events – A sequence of connected happenings.

in series – Connected or arranged sequentially, one after the other.

🔄 Synonyms

sequence (n.) – A particular order in which related things follow each other.

succession (n.) – A number of people or things following one after the other.

string (n.) – A linearly ordered sequence of items or events.

🚫 Antonyms

standalone (adj.) – Complete in itself and not part of a connected series.

isolated incident () – A single, unconnected event.

🌱 Derivatives

serial (adj./n.) – Of, forming, or presented in a series; a story published or broadcast in installments.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'series' entered English in the early 17th century from Latin, where it originally meant a 'row' or 'chain' of connected items. A prominent modern cultural application is in television and media, where a 'TV series' refers to a set of episodic programs with a continuous narrative, a format that has become a dominant form of storytelling in contemporary entertainment.