similar

sim·i·lar

adj \ˈsi-mə-lər, ˈsim-lər\

Definition of SIMILAR

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>

— sim·i·lar·ly adverb

Examples of SIMILAR

1. Our cats are similar in size.
2. You two look very similar to each other.
3. They had similar experiences growing up, even though they came from vastly different backgrounds.
4. We got remarkably similar results.
5. I was going to say something similar.
6. I would have reacted in a similar way if it had happened to me.
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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

Origin of SIMILAR

French similaire, from Latin similis like, similar — more at same

First Known Use: 1611

Related to SIMILAR

Synonyms: akin, analogous, cognate, comparable, connate, correspondent, corresponding, ditto, like, matching, parallel, resemblant, resembling, alike, such, suchlike

Antonyms: different, dissimilar, diverse, unakin, unlike

Related Words: commensurate, proportionate; tantamount, virtual; allied, congeneric, congenerous, congenial, connatural, kin, kindred, relatable, related; approaching, approximating, close, coextensive, coincident, conformable, conforming, consistent, consonant, duplicate, equal, equivalent, fungible, identical, indistinguishable, interchangeable, me-too, redundant, same, selfsame, substitutable, synonymous, twin; entire, homogeneous, homogenous, unchanging, uniform, unvaried, unvarying

Near Antonyms: disparate, distinct, distinguishable, nonequivalent, noninterchangeable; variable, varied, various, varying; imprecise, inaccurate, inexact; unconnected, unrelated

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Synonym Discussion of 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>.