alphabetical

alphabetical — adjective

1. Organised or sorted according to the standard sequence of letters in a writing s

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

Organised or sorted according to the standard sequence of letters in a writing system, starting from A and moving through the alphabet to Z.

Example

Minho found the city in the guidebook's alphabetical list of Japanese destinations.

collocation: alphabetical list + of + plural noun

The librarian put the new novels in alphabetical order by the author's surname.

collocation: in alphabetical order

Common collocations
  • alphabetical order
  • alphabetical list
  • alphabetical index
Synonyms
  • alphabetic

    synonymous but far less common; feels slightly technical or dated

  • sequential

    broader — describes any ordered sequence, not necessarily by letter

  • ordered

    general term for any kind of arranged sequence

Antonyms
  • random

    having no specific order or pattern

Grammar Patterns

alphabetical + noun (order / list / index)

Usage Note

The noun that follows is typically order, list, or index. This is by far the most common use of alphabetical.

Common Mistakes

I filed the documents in alphabetic order.
I filed the documents in alphabetical order.
Both forms exist, but alphabetical is overwhelmingly preferred in modern English.
Please arrange these words with alphabetical.
Please arrange these words in alphabetical order.
The word alphabetical cannot stand alone after a preposition; it must modify a noun such as order.

2. Relating to a writing system where each spoken sound corresponds to a symbol cal

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Relating to a writing system where each spoken sound corresponds to a symbol called a letter, rather than to whole-word pictures or syllable blocks.

Example

Chinese is not an alphabetical writing system — each character represents a whole word or idea.

collocation: alphabetical writing system

Korean Hangul is a highly respected alphabetical writing system among linguists today.

Common collocations
  • alphabetical writing
  • alphabetical system
  • alphabetical script
Synonyms
  • alphabetic

    interchangeable in technical contexts

  • letter-based

    informal equivalent used in non-specialist discussions

Antonyms
  • logographic

    describes a system where symbols represent whole words or morphemes, not sounds

  • syllabic

    describes a system where symbols represent syllables rather than individual phonemes

Grammar Patterns

alphabetical + noun (writing / system / script)

Usage Note

Used mainly in linguistics and discussions of writing-system typology. Distinguish from Sense 1 (arrangement), which is much more common in everyday language.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Alphabetical and alphabetic share the same meaning, but alphabetical is about fifty times more frequent in modern English — alphabetic sounds slightly technical and is mostly used in linguistics ("alphabetic writing"). Sequential is a broader term: any sequence by number, time, or logic counts as sequential, not just letter-order. Ordered is the most general — it simply means not random. For example, a phonebook is alphabetical, chapters in a textbook are sequential, and a checklist after use is ordered but not necessarily alphabetical.

alphabetical ↗alphabeticsequentialordered

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in alphabetical order
  • alphabetical by surname
  • arranged alphabetically

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Alphabetical comes from the Greek word alphabētos, formed from alpha and beta (the first two letters of the Greek alphabet). The suffix -ical was added in English during the 16th century to form adjectives describing order or system. Before the concept of 'alphabetical order' became widespread in the 1600s, reference works were often arranged by topic rather than by letter.