dissimilar

adjective

dis·​sim·​i·​lar (ˌ)di(s)-ˈsi-mə-lər 

-ˈsim-lər

: not the same or similar : different or unalike

people with dissimilar backgrounds

dissimilar materials

The responsibilities of the resident were not dissimilar to those of the intern …

—James D. Hardy

dissimilarly

(ˈ)di(s)-ˈsi-mə-lər-lē 

-ˈsim-lər-

adverb

Synonyms

• different
• diverse
• distinctive
• distinct

Examples of dissimilar in a Sentence

The two movies are very dissimilar.

The writers have dissimilar backgrounds.

The question is not dissimilar to one asked earlier.

Recent Examples on the Web

Not too dissimilar from early July and mid-August. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025

At best, Son is the best player ever produced by South Korea, a nation whose relatively limited soccer history is not all that dissimilar to the United States. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

To convert the heat to electricity, the RTGs employ a series of thermocouples, which consist of a junction of two dissimilar conductors. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Aug. 2025

Bowen’s plea for an improved performance is not too dissimilar to the reaction West Ham’s then captain Declan Rice tried to elicit midway through the 2022-23 season. —Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin dissimilāris, from Latin dis- dis- + Medieval Latin similāris similar

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dissimilar

• not dissimilar

Rhymes for dissimilar

• similar

Kids Definition

dissimilar

adjective

dis·​sim·​i·​lar (ˈ)dis-ˈ(s)im-ə-lər 

: different sense 1, unlike

dissimilarity

(ˌ)dis-ˌ(s)im-ə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

noun

dissimilarly

(ˈ)dis-ˈ(s)im-ə-lər-lē 

adverb