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 WebClark thinks being able to play on a national stage, as well as social media and the introduction of the name, image and likeness policy in college sports — which allows collegiate athletes to make money from their personal brands — are all contributing to the rise of women's basketball.—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 15 Apr. 2024 Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery recently indicated that name, image and likeness (NIL) money may have played a role in Perkins’ decision to leave Iowa City.—Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024 What’s your advice for those who are coming up through this relatively new era of college athletes being allowed to accept endorsements through name image and likeness (NIL) deals?—Vanessa Perdomo, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024 Filed in 2020 by former ASU swimmer Grant House, the antitrust lawsuit aims to compensate thousands of former athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) over a multi-year stretch before the summer of 2021, when NIL became the law of the land in college athletics.—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024 Name, image and likeness, or NIL, allows players to receive payment outside their scholarships.—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024 In addition to limiting access to the likeness, multisided portraits allowed artists to comment on their own work, painting allegorical scenes that reflected the sitters’ character on removable covers or the reverse sides of panels.—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024 The world-famous rock band has sold its music catalog, name, image, and likeness to Swedish entertainment and music investment firm Pophouse.—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024 The other is the cash available to keep current players and attract new ones through the Cougars’ name, image and likeness (NIL) efforts.—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'likeness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of likeness was
before the 12th century
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