What does "unlike" mean?
Something that is not like something else; something different.
Unlike
/ʌnˈlaɪk/ adj, noun, prep, verb
adj, noun, prep, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is not like something else; something different.
- Grammar: unlike is listed as adj, noun, prep, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: assorted, at odds, at variance, atypical.
- Useful contrasts: akin, analog model, comparable.
- Usage evidence: Unlike Great Britain, the Upper House in the United States is an elected body.
How to use "unlike"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "unlike" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "unlike" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "unlike" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "unlike" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "unlike" is acting as adj, noun, prep, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "assorted" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "unlike", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that is not like something else; something different.
"2012, J. Bogen, J. E. McGuire, How Things Are: Studies in Predication and the History of Philosophy and Science If the beings are many, then they must be likes and unlikes. But this is impossible, for unlikes cannot be likes, and likes cannot be unlikes."
- 2 The act of withdrawing one's like from a post on social media. Internet
"Getting an unlike for every 20 likes is common and not something you need to be losing sleep over."
Verb
- 1 To dislike.
"The incounters of the times have been nothing favourable and prosperous for the invention of knowledge, so as it is not only the daintiness of the seed to take, and the ill mixture and unliking of the ground to nourish or raise this plant, but the ill season also of the weather, by which it hath been checked and blasted."
- 2 To cancel a "like" action.
"I unliked the post after I found out the author was racist."
- 3 To cancel a "like" action.; To withdraw support or enjoyment for. broadly
"My comment was more of a backhanded slap at Stern Pinball's Facebook "presence", specifically the garbage "cheap heat" posts. […] It's so inane (and now, so constant) that I wound up "unliking" stern pinball entirely."
Adjective
- 1 Not like; dissimilar (to); having no resemblance; unalike.
"The brothers are quite unlike each other."
- 2 Unequal.
"They contributed in unlike amounts."
- 3 Not likely; improbable; unlikely. archaic
Adjective
- 1 marked by dissimilarity wordnet
- 2 not equal in amount wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Different from; not in a like or similar manner.
"The disgust I felt after watching last weekend's horror movie was unlike anything I had felt before."
- 2 In contrast with; as opposed to.
"Claudia hardly ever drinks beer or wine, unlike Phillip, for whom the bar is practically a second home."
- 3 Not typical of one's character or personality.
"Being late is unlike him."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Unlike Great Britain, the Upper House in the United States is an elected body."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "unlike"?
Common synonyms include: assorted, at odds, at variance, atypical, contrary, contrary to.
How do you use "unlike" in a sentence?
Unlike Great Britain, the Upper House in the United States is an elected body.
How do you pronounce "unlike"?
Pronounced /ʌnˈlaɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English unlic, unlich, from Old English unlīċ, unġelīċ (“unlike, different, dissimilar, diverse”), from Proto-Germanic *ungalīkaz. By surface analysis, un- + like. Cognate with Dutch ongelijk, German ungleich, Old Norse úlíkr (see there for North Germanic descendants).
Etymology 2
From Middle English unliken, unlyken, equivalent to un- + like.