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Life & fun · April 26, 2012

A programming language that uses only parentheses

A Lisp-style language whose programs consist entirely of parentheses. - cammckinnon/Parenthetic

A programming language that uses only parentheses launched on April 26, 2012 with 55 votes, #35 of 446 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 14 years on.

Visit github.com ↗Alternativestop 8% of April 2012

In plain words

Parenthetic is a Lisp-style programming language where entire programs consist solely of parentheses. It targets developers and programmers interested in esoteric languages and functional programming concepts. The language stands out by eliminating all traditional syntax elements—variables, operators, and keywords—reducing code to nested parentheses that encode logical operations and data structures. It demonstrates how minimal syntax can still express computational ideas through creative use of parentheses grouping and nesting patterns.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

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