serial

serial — adjective

1. relates to someone who carries out the same type of harmful or illegal act again

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relates to someone who carries out the same type of harmful or illegal act again and again over a period — for example, a murderer who kills many victims one after another, or a thief who steals repeatedly.

Example

Police arrested a serial killer who had attacked seven people over two years.

serial + killer for multiple murders

Judges in many countries give harsher sentences to serial offenders who refuse to change.

serial + offender for repeat criminals

Common collocations
  • serial killer
  • serial offender
  • serial rapist
  • serial arsonist
  • serial fraudster
  • serial shoplifter
Synonyms
  • repeat

    more general, used for any repeated action without the criminal connotation (e.g. repeat customer, repeat performance)

  • habitual

    suggests a fixed pattern by force of habit, often with negative tone (e.g. habitual liar, habitual offender)

  • chronic

    emphasises long-standing, hard-to-break patterns, often used for addiction or illness rather than crime

Antonyms
  • one-time

    describes an act that happens only once, not repeatedly

Grammar Patterns

serial + noun (criminal/offender/killer)

Usage Note

Only used before a noun (attributive position). The noun that follows is almost always a type of criminal or a harmful act. Common examples: serial killer, serial offender, serial rapist, serial arsonist, serial fraudster. The sense does not extend to non-criminal repeated behaviour (e.g. a person who watches many movies is not a 'serial movie-watcher').

Common Mistakes

He is a serial baker who makes cakes every weekend.
He bakes cakes every weekend.
'serial' in this sense is reserved for criminal or seriously harmful repeated acts, not everyday habits.
The serial killer was arrested and put in jail for life.
The serial killer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
use 'convicted' and 'sentenced' rather than vague 'put in jail' for formal legal contexts.

2. broadcast or published as a set of separate parts that come out one after anothe

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

broadcast or published as a set of separate parts that come out one after another — for example, a TV drama with a new episode each week, or a story printed across several magazine issues.

Example

Liam watches a new serial drama every Tuesday night with his flatmates.

serial + drama for TV shows in episodes

The magazine ran the story in serial form across six issues last year.

serial form for publication in instalments

Common collocations
  • serial drama
  • serial novel
  • serial story
  • serial publication
  • serial podcast
Synonyms
  • episodic

    focuses on the content being divided into episodes, more common for TV and podcasts

  • serialised

    specifically describes a work that has been turned into a serial format from a single original

Antonyms
  • standalone

    describes a work that is complete in one part, not needing a sequel or next episode

Grammar Patterns

serial + noun (drama/novel/publication/story)

Usage Note

Used attributively before nouns related to media content. The noun typically names a type of creative work: drama, story, novel, publication, podcast. Contrasts with 'standalone' or 'one-off', which describe works that are complete in a single part.

Common Mistakes

I bought a serial book.
I read a story that was published in serial form.
'serial' describes the publication format, not a type of book. Use 'serialised' or 'in serial form' instead.

3. describes a way of sending data through a single wire or channel, where each pie

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a way of sending data through a single wire or channel, where each piece of information travels one at a time in a line — for example, an older computer port that transmits data this way.

Example

Older computer mice used a serial port at the back of the machine.

serial + port for hardware connection

A serial cable sends one bit of data at a time through a single wire.

serial cable transmits one bit at a time

Common collocations
  • serial port
  • serial cable
  • serial connector
  • serial interface
  • serial connection
Synonyms
  • sequential

    broader term for any step-by-step process, not specific to computing hardware

Antonyms
  • parallel

    describes data transmission where multiple bits travel simultaneously through separate wires

Grammar Patterns

serial + noun (port/cable/connection/interface)

Usage Note

Technical computing term. The opposite concept is 'parallel', where multiple bits travel at the same time through separate wires. Modern computers rarely include serial ports, though the term is still used in networking and hardware specifications.

Common Mistakes

My phone uses a serial charger.
My phone uses a USB charger.
'serial' refers to a specific data transmission standard, not a general type of cable or charger.

4. placed in a specific order following a numbered system, usually for identificati

4.adjectiveB1
Definition

placed in a specific order following a numbered system, usually for identification purposes — for example, a product number that increases by one for each new item made.

Example

Every product from this factory has a unique serial code printed on its bottom.

serial code for unique identification numbers

Eitan wrote down the serial number of his laptop in case it got stolen.

Common collocations
  • serial number
  • serial code
  • serial ID
  • serial order
Synonyms
  • sequential

    broader term meaning 'one after another', used for any ordered arrangement

  • consecutive

    emphasises that items follow each other without gaps (e.g. consecutive numbers 1, 2, 3)

Antonyms
  • random

    describes items that are not arranged in any fixed order

Grammar Patterns

serial + noun (number/code/order/ID)

Usage Note

Used before nouns that refer to identifiers or labels. The most common collocation is 'serial number', which identifies a single item uniquely. 'Serial code' and 'serial ID' are also frequent. This sense does not carry any criminal or media meaning — it simply means 'in a numbered sequence'.

Common Mistakes

Please tell me the serial of your phone.
Please tell me the serial number of your phone.
'serial' alone is not a noun meaning 'identification number'; always include the word 'number' or 'code'.

serial — noun

Word family

  • series
    nounA2
  • serialize
    verbC1
  • serialization
    nounC1
  • serially
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that happens more than once, but they differ in connotation and typical context. 'Serial' is the strongest term for criminal behaviour — a serial killer or serial offender is someone who commits the exact same type of crime repeatedly, often with a pattern or compulsion. 'Repeat' is neutral and far broader: a repeat customer, a repeat performance, or a repeat offender simply means someone or something that does something again. 'Habitual' suggests behaviour that has become a fixed habit, usually with a mildly negative tone (a habitual liar, a habitual smoker). 'Chronic' focuses on duration and persistence, often in medical or addiction contexts (a chronic illness, a chronic gambler), and does not imply criminal intent. For a court case, saying 'the defendant is a repeat offender' is a factual statement; saying 'the defendant is a serial offender' adds a stronger suggestion of pattern and danger.

serial ↗repeat ↗habitual ↗chronic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in serial form
  • serial number
  • serial killer

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'serial' comes from the Latin word 'series', meaning a row, chain, or connected sequence. English borrowed 'series' directly in the 1600s, then formed 'serial' in the mid-1800s to describe stories published in instalments. The criminal sense ('serial killer') emerged in the 1970s, popularised by FBI profilers who noticed that some murderers kill in repeating patterns. The computing sense also developed in the mid-1900s as engineers needed a word for data that travels one bit after another, like items in a chain.