INDEX:
1. like something or someone else
2. in a similar way
3. to make you think of another similar person or thing
4. to look very much like another person or thing
5. someone who looks very much like someone else
6. to be like your mother, father, grandfather etc
7. to have similar characters or interests
8. to understand someone because you are like them
9. similar and equally good or bad
10. the quality of being similar
11. a particular way in which things or people are similar
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DIFFERENT
to like someone or something : ↑ LIKE
see also
↑ SAME
↑ EQUAL/NOT EQUAL
↑ COPY
↑ ARTIFICIAL
◆◆◆
1. like something or someone else
▷ like /laɪk/ [preposition]
similar to something or someone :
▪ The houses here are like the ones in northern France.
▪ My mother has a car like yours.
look/feel/sound/smell/taste like
▪ She laughed like a child and played with her hair.
▪ This is such beautiful material - it feels like silk.
▪ It looks a bit like a cactus.
something like
fairly similar
▪ This superb almost-flourless chocolate cake is something like a brownie for grownups.
nothing like
not at all similar
▪ Life at college was nothing like I expected.
▷ similar /ˈsɪm ə ləʳ, ˈsɪmɪləʳ/ [adjective]
if one thing is similar to another, or if two or more things are similar, they are like each other :
▪ I know how you feel, because I have a similar problem.
▪ It’s bigger than Jim’s room, but it’s very similar.
▪ When you look at these two carpets, you can see that the patterns are very similar.
similar to
▪ Do you have anything similar to this material but cheaper?
▪ The Marines also experimented with fast-attack vehicles, similar to dune buggies.
▷ alike /əˈlaɪk/ [adjective not before noun]
if two or more things or people are alike, they are very similar in some way :
▪ You lawyers are all alike. You just talk a lot, tell a few lies, and send the bill.
▪ I think my mother and I are very much alike in some ways.
▪ As the personal computer market matured, computer makers have realized that not all PC buyers are alike.
look/think/sound etc alike
▪ The album is boring - all of their songs sound alike.
▷ much the same /ˌmʌtʃ ðə ˈseɪm/ [adjective phrase]
very similar :
▪ Soldiers are much the same throughout the world.
much the same as
▪ Bodie looks much the same as the day the mines closed down.
much the same....as/that
▪ The glass is still made in much the same way as it was 100 years ago.
▪ The warranty would cover the electric car’s battery pack in much the same way that gasoline engines are protected.
look/feel/smell/taste much the same
▪ All these wines taste much the same.
▷ resemble/bear a resemblance to /rɪˈzemb ə l, ˌbeər ə rɪˈzembləns tuː/ [transitive verb not in progressive or passive]
to be similar in appearance or character :
▪ Geraldine resembled her mother in every way.
▪ Addis Ababa soon resembled an armed camp.
closely resemble
▪ We have produced a cloth made of pineapple fibre, closely resembling cotton but stronger.
bear a strong/close/striking resemblance to
▪ She’s seventy-six, short, round and fair, and bears a strong resemblance to my own grandmother.
bear some/little/no resemblance to
▪ The London of the new millennium bears little resemblance to the London of my youth.
▷ comparable /ˈkɒmp ə rəb ə lǁˈkɑːm-/ [adjective]
similar in size, number, quality etc so that a comparison is possible :
▪ Climatic conditions in the two countries are roughly comparable.
comparable with/to
▪ The size of a dolphin’s brain is comparable to a human’s.
comparable in size/importance etc
▪ The planet Pluto is comparable in size to our Moon.
▷ akin to /əˈkɪn tuː/ [adjective phrase]
if something is akin to something else, it is very similar to it in character - used especially in literature :
▪ It’s a language closely akin to Arabic, and most Syrians would understand it.
▪ It was with a feeling akin to despair that I realized the car was not going to start.
2. in a similar way
▷ like /laɪk/ [preposition]
in a similar way to someone or something :
▪ I’d love to be able to sing like Ella Fitzgerald.
▪ You’re treating him like a child.
▪ Huge trees had snapped like matchsticks in the hurricane-force winds.
▪ Like many women her age, she struggled to find a balance between her career and her children.
just/exactly like something
▪ She moves and talks exactly like her mother.
▷ similarly /ˈsɪmɪləʳli/ [adverb] formal :
▪ The son followed his father’s example and, similarly, the daughter modelled herself on her mother.
similarly situated/expressed/inclined etc
▪ San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro are similarly situated, both standing at the entrance to great natural harbours.
▪ This idea of creation is similarly expressed in a poem by Dylan Thomas.
3. to make you think of another similar person or thing
▷ remind somebody of /rɪˈmaɪnd somebody ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make you think of another thing or person because they are similar :
▪ Sometimes, when you’re angry, you remind me of your father.
▪ The way he tells jokes reminds me of Jonathan.
▪ What an ugly little building! It reminds me of a public lavatory.
▷ be reminiscent of /biː ˌremə̇ˈnɪs ə nt ɒv/ [verb phrase] formal
if something or someone is reminiscent of another thing or person, they make you think of that other thing or person because they have a similar style, appearance, sound etc :
▪ His singing is reminiscent of Bob Marley.
▪ The Senator spoke of the drama of the situation in tones reminiscent of an evangelical preacher.
▪ Her style of writing is somewhat reminiscent of Virginia Woolf.
▷ echo /ˈekəʊ/ [transitive verb not in progressive] formal
if something, especially a performance or a work of art echoes something that existed in the past, it makes you think of it because it is similar :
▪ This new musical with its expensive costumes and scenery echoes the Hollywood glamour of the 1950s.
▪ Her designs were informed by vintage Halston, ‘Love Story’ and the leisure suit, all echoing 1970s’ style.
4. to look very much like another person or thing
▷ look/be just like also look/be exactly like /lʊk, biː ˌdʒʌst ˈlaɪk, lʊk, biː ɪgˌzæktli ˈlaɪk/ [verb phrase]
▪ That vase is just like one that I used to have.
▪ He looks exactly like Clint Eastwood, except he’s slightly taller.
▷ be the spitting image of also be the (living) image of British /biː ðə ˌspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ ɒv, biː ðə (ˌlɪvɪŋ) ˈɪmɪdʒ ɒv/ [verb phrase] informal
to look almost exactly the same as someone else :
▪ Everyone always said my aunt was the spitting image of Ingrid Bergman.
▪ With that beautiful black hair, she is the living image of her mother.
▷ could pass for/could be mistaken for /kʊd ˈpɑːs fɒʳǁ-ˈpæs-, kʊd biː mɪˈsteɪkən fɒʳ/ [verb phrase]
if you could pass for or be mistaken for another person, you look so much like them that people might think you were the other person :
▪ You could easily pass for your sister - you look just like her.
▪ With her hair cut short, she could easily have been mistaken for a boy.
5. someone who looks very much like someone else
▷ look-alike /ˈlʊk əˌlaɪk/ [countable noun]
a person who looks very much like another person, especially a famous person :
Madonna/Elvis Presley etc look-alike
▪ Have you seen that new commercial with the Mel Gibson look-alike?
▪ There were hundreds of Madonna look-alikes waiting outside Wembley Stadium for the concert.
▷ somebody’s double / somebodyˈs ˈdʌb ə l/ [countable noun] especially British
a person who looks exactly like another person :
▪ I met your double at a party last night. I really thought it was you.
6. to be like your mother, father, grandfather etc
▷ be like /biː ˈlaɪk/ [verb phrase]
to have a very similar character to your mother, father, grandfather etc :
▪ You’re like your grandmother -- obstinate and determined.
just/exactly like somebody
▪ You and your dad - you’re exactly like each other in temperament.
▷ look like /ˈlʊk laɪk/ [verb phrase]
to have a very similar appearance to your mother, father, grandfather etc :
▪ My sister looks like my dad, but I look more like my mother.
▪ Who does the baby look like?
just/exactly like
▪ You look just like your sister - I would’ve known you anywhere.
▷ take after /ˈteɪk ɑːftəʳǁ-æf-/ [transitive phrasal verb not in progressive or passive]
to be like your mother, father, grandfather etc, especially in character :
▪ Aunt Arabella is very stubborn. Kim takes after her in that respect.
▪ He spends a lot of time trying to dispel the myth that he takes after his famous, alcoholic father.
▷ be a chip off the old block /biː ə ˌtʃɪp ɒf ði ˌəʊld ˈblɒkǁ-ˈblɑːk/ [verb phrase] informal
to be like your mother, father, grandfather etc in character or behaviour, used especially when talking about a good characteristic :
▪ ‘That daughter of yours has a great sense of humour.’ ‘Yes, I like to think she’s a chip off the old block!’
7. to have similar characters or interests
▷ be two of a kind /biː ˌtuː əv ə ˈkaɪnd/ [verb phrase]
if two people are two of a kind, they are very similar to each other in character or behaviour :
▪ You’re two of a kind, you and Doug - you can never be serious for even one minute!
▪ They were two of a kind, both proud and stubborn, both hated by the community.
▷ have a lot in common/have so much in common /hæv ə ˌlɒt ɪn ˈkɒmənǁ-ˌlɑːt ɪn ˈkɑː-, hæv ˌsəʊ mʌtʃ ɪn ˈkɒmən/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
two or more people who have a lot in common share similar interests, attitudes, tastes etc :
▪ We like the same things and the same people. I think we have a lot in common.
▪ You two have so much in common. You should be able to find a way to talk about things without fighting.
8. to understand someone because you are like them
▷ relate to /rɪˈleɪt tuː/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to be able to understand and be sympathetic to someone, because you have the same problems, situation etc as them :
▪ Group work helps children learn to share things and relate to each other.
▪ He seems to have difficulty relating to others and expressing his feelings.
▪ She’s a great teacher because she really relates to the kids.
▷ identify with /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ wɪð, aɪˈdentəfaɪ wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to like someone because you feel that they are similar to you :
▪ Which of the characters do you most identify with?
▪ Winters believes she has been successful because people identify with her and trust her.
▪ We can all identify with these people in their desire for freedom and independence.
9. similar and equally good or bad
▷ there is little to choose between/there is not much to choose between /ðeər ɪz ˌlɪtl tə ˈtʃuːz bɪtwiːn, ðeər ɪz ˌnɒt mʌtʃ tə ˈtʃuːz bɪtwiːn/
if there is little to choose between two or more people or things, they are almost equally good or bad, especially so that you would not know which one to choose :
▪ There’s very little to choose between the two apartments in terms of space, so I think we should take the cheaper one.
▪ When you look at the two candidates, there really isn’t much to choose between them.
▷ be much of a muchness /biː ˌmʌtʃ əv ə ˈmʌtʃnə̇s/ [verb phrase] British informal
to be very similar and almost equally good or bad :
▪ I can’t really recommend any particular hotel. They’re all much of a muchness.
10. the quality of being similar
▷ similarity /ˌsɪmɪˈlærəti, ˌsɪməˈlærəti/ [uncountable noun]
similarity between
▪ The author notes the similarity between Western and Chinese principles and sees them as having a common basis in science.
similarity with/to
▪ We were able to tell the date of the statue because of its similarity with other statues of that period.
the similarity of something (to something)
▪ For generations, scientists and science-fiction writers talked about the similarity of Mars to Earth.
▷ resemblance /rɪˈzembləns/ [singular/uncountable noun]
a similarity in appearance :
▪ When you look at this painting and the one by Rembrandt, there is certainly a resemblance.
resemblance to
▪ Although the fish have little external resemblance to each other, skeletally they are quite similar.
family resemblance
a resemblance between members of the same family
▪ When he met Francesca’s aunt he was instantly struck by the family resemblance.
striking resemblance
extremely strong resemblance
▪ The Japanese maple leaf bears a striking resemblance to a marijuana leaf.
11. a particular way in which things or people are similar
▷ similarity /ˌsɪmɪˈlærəti, ˌsɪməˈlærəti/ [countable noun usually plural]
▪ When comparing cultures, we often pay attention only to the differences without noticing the many similarities.
similarity in
▪ The book classifies cheeses by similarities in flavour, rather than by ingredients.
similarity between
▪ There is one important similarity between the two political systems.
▷ parallel /ˈpærəlel/ [countable noun usually plural]
a particular way in which two things are similar, especially when it is possible to make an interesting comparison between them :
parallel between
▪ There are certain parallels between the situation in Europe today and that which existed 90 years ago.
▪ Kakar finds parallels between the Hindi film and popular myths.