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

The games, broadcast on ABC, haven’t looked all that dissimilar to other playoff games, or even regular-season ones. —Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 16 June 2025

Nashville, while concrete, isn’t too dissimilar to what creates speed there. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 31 May 2025

Tonally, all three films couldn’t be more dissimilar, and so Rudd was largely unconcerned with any parallels, except for one particular item. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025

The riots in Los Angeles are completely dissimilar, as one of America’s major cities witnesses federal agents hauling away people whose purported crime was living among the rest of us without proper citizenship documentation. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 June 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