similar

adjective

sim·​i·​lar ˈsi-mə-lər 

ˈsim-lər

1

: having characteristics in common : strictly comparable

2

: alike in substance or essentials : corresponding

no two animal habitats are exactly similar

—W. H. Dowdeswell

3

: not differing in shape but only in size or position

similar triangles

similar polygons

similarly adverb

Synonyms

• comparable
• analogous
• like
• alike
• such

Choose the Right Synonym for similar

similar, analogous, parallel mean closely resembling each other.

similar implies the possibility of being mistaken for each other.

all the houses in the development are similar

analogous applies to things belonging in essentially different categories but nevertheless having many similarities.

analogous political systems

parallel suggests a marked likeness in the development of two things.

the parallel careers of two movie stars

Examples of similar in a Sentence

This month, General Electric's health-care division will begin marketing a first-of-its-kind electrocardiograph machine in the U.S. Although packed with the latest technology, the battery-powered device weighs just six pounds, half as much as the smallest ECG machine currently for sale. It will retail for a mere $2,500, an 80% markdown from products with similar capabilities. —Reena Jana, Business Week, 23 & 30 Mar. 2009

There's a reason boards of directors can pluck so many CEOs out of one company and plop them into another: When it comes to management ideas and tools, many companies are surprisingly similar. They have the same hierarchies and budgeting processes. —Jena McGregor, Business Week, 8 Oct. 2007

Though the trends were similar, the new patterns of consumption varied both regionally and nationally, as they continue to do today. —John Brewer, New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2006

Our cats are similar in size.

You two look very similar to each other.

They had similar experiences growing up, even though they came from vastly different backgrounds.

We got remarkably similar results.

I was going to say something similar.

I would have reacted in a similar way if it had happened to me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every prosecution and sentence like this one moves us a step closer to deterring criminals from committing these crimes and protecting others from a similar fate. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025

Key is 26-16 in four seasons, and his teams play hard and with toughness, similar to the mold of Mike Elko at Texas A&M. —Chris Vannini, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2025

Both are constructed using a mix of cotton and fleece, showcase a similar blue color, and are on sale for only $32 as a pair. —Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

The arch, similar to Paris's iconic Arc de Triomphe, would serve as a gateway to Washington while entering via the Arlington Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "(of parts of the body) made up of one substance, homogeneous," borrowed from Medieval Latin similāris, from Latin similis "having characteristics in common, like" + -āris -ar; similis going back to dialectal Indo-European *sm̥h₂-el-i- (whence also, with different stem formations, Old Irish amal, preposition, "like, as," samail "likeness, similarity," Middle Welsh hafal "like, similar," Greek homalόs "even, uniform, equal, like"), derivative of *semh₂ "one, one and the same" — more at same entry 1

Note: Latin similis is presumably from *semilis, with e > i before a sonorant and a following i. Compare from the same stem simul "in company, together, at the same time" (semol in an early inscription), with i carried over from similis (see simultaneous); and semel "a single time, once" (see semelparous). — The Celtic outcomes show an internal change of *-ema- > *-ama- ("Joseph's Law"). The initial o in Greek homalόs, for expected *a, has probably been carried over from homόs "shared among all, common, same," homoîos "like, similar" (see homo- homeo-), — A different analysis of similis and like words has been proposed by G.E. Dunkel (Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme, Heidelberg, 2014, p. 726). Behind similis the author sees *sm̥-h₂el-ó-, with *sm̥- as zero-grade of *som- "together, with, the same" and *h₂el- taken to be the verbal base meaning "nourish, bring up" (see old entry 1)—hence the compound would have meant "of equal growth," whence "like, similar." Dunkel analyzes semel "a single time," differently, however, as *sem-le, with *sem- "one" and *le "over there, distant" (pp. 491, 673).

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for similar

• dissimilar

Kids Definition

similar

adjective

sim·​i·​lar ˈsim-(ə-)lər 

1

: having qualities in common

2

: not differing in shape but only in size or position

similar triangles

similarly adverb