dislike

1 of 2

noun

dis·​like (ˌ)dis-ˈlīk How to pronounce dislike (audio)
ˈdis-ˌlīk
plural dislikes
1
: a feeling of aversion or disapproval
2
obsolete : discord
3
: something that a person habitually does not like or enjoy
talking about his likes and dislikes

dislike

2 of 2

verb

disliked; disliking; dislikes

transitive verb

1
: to regard with dislike : disapprove
2
archaic : displease
3
obsolete : to show aversion to
disliker noun

Examples of dislike in a Sentence

Noun we have a strong dislike for olives and wouldn't eat them even if we were paid the public's general dislike of negative campaign ads Verb I dislike basketball, but I enjoy baseball. Most people dislike it when they are told what to do.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Ji-han takes an immediate dislike to Ah-jeong and doesn’t want his older brother to marry her. Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The filing also described Soderstrom showing a dislike for state prosecutors while showing favor to the defendant and complimenting the defense attorney. Andy Rose, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 For those who have known Meadows for a long time, including those who harbor a powerful dislike of him, his air of breezy prosperity is not at all incongruent with the crisis that currently looms over him. Robert Draper, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 This may be a sign of our intense and increasing partisan polarization — particularly negative partisanship, in which partisan preferences are driven primarily by dislike of the opposing party. Monica Potts, ABC News, 1 Feb. 2024 In a silent protest of the current state of affairs — at 27-50 Miami has the worst record in baseball — a black ribbon snakes around her arm, a sign of her dislike of the owner. Chabeli Herrera, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Business leaders including L’Oréal’s Nicolas Hieronimus, WebMD’s Bob Brisco, and JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, have not been shy about their dislike of work from home. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2024 Elon Musk’s goals vs. approach Musk’s aggressive goals, like his otherworldly ambitions for a Mars civilization and self-driving cars within the decade, combined with his dislike for public transit, could explain why about 59 more voters shared this view on Musk than in 2019. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 Four in 10 voters who backed Ms. Haley said their dislike of Mr. Trump was a more important factor in their vote than their approval of Ms. Haley, according to exit polls. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
The film follows the life of Charles Edward Chipping (Robert Donat), an English schoolteacher who, over the course of 60 years, goes from a strict, disliked Latin teacher to a beloved fixture at the school. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Regardless of whatever else people like or dislike about it, just the sort of fizzing energy beneath the skin of everything. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 But what’s clear is Americans are becoming more likely to personally dislike those who hold different political opinions from their own, rather than just disagreeing on the issues. Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 Things to Consider This powder contains the sweetener monk fruit, which can have a very sweet taste that some people may dislike. Britannay Scanniello, Verywell Health, 1 Mar. 2024 My Chinese grandmother did not have fear or dislike for people of color ever. Noël Burgess, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 It should also be noted that some investors dislike IRRs as a metric since PE firms can use capital calls to artificially increase them. Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Except that each is further evidence of the intense dislike the locals have for the shrieking, vomiting, urinating hordes that treat their town with such disrespect. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024 Americans might dislike paying regressive taxes, including both new ones like the payroll levy and old ones like all those endless excises. Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dislike.' 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

Noun

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dislike was in 1567

Dictionary Entries Near dislike

Cite this Entry

“Dislike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dislike. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dislike

1 of 2 noun
dis·​like (ˈ)dis-ˈlīk How to pronounce dislike (audio)
: a strong feeling of not liking or approving

dislike

2 of 2 verb
: to feel dislike for

More from Merriam-Webster on dislike

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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