likeness

noun

like·​ness ˈlīk-nəs 

1

: copy, portrait

2

: appearance, semblance

3

: the quality or state of being like : resemblance

Synonyms of likeness

• image
• depiction
• portrait
• illustration
• picture

Choose the Right Synonym for likeness

likeness, similarity, resemblance, similitude, analogy mean agreement or correspondence in details.

likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike.

a remarkable likeness to his late father

some similarity between the two cases

resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

Examples of likeness in a Sentence

a stamp bearing the likeness of a president

There's some likeness between them.

There's an uncanny likeness between them.

Recent Examples on the Web

Meta received three days of backlash to learn exactly where the line is on likeness. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Won said his company needs a few photos and short voice samples of the deceased to make a likeness. — Arkansas Online, 11 July 2026

Friday’s announcement comes after CAA called for Meta to implement guardrails for Muse, despite the agency rolling out its own AI Vault program to archive its members’ likenesses forever. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 July 2026

Their control over that image and likeness got shakier Tuesday when Instagram’s parent company Meta rolled out Muse Image — a tool that lets people take publicly posted Instagram photos and use AI to generate new images from them. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing likeness

• a good likeness

Rhymes for likeness

• unlikeness

Kids Definition

likeness

noun

like·​ness ˈlīk-nəs 

1

: a picture especially of a person : portrait

2

: the quality or state of being like : resemblance