resemblance

noun re·sem·blance \ ri-ˈzem-blən(t)s \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: resemblance in a Sentence

Definition of resemblance

1 a : the quality or state of resembling; especially : correspondence in appearance or superficial qualities

b : a point of likeness : similarity

2 : representation, image

3 archaic : characteristic appearance

4 obsolete : probability

See resemblance defined for English-language learners

See resemblance defined for kids

Examples of resemblance in a Sentence

He doesn't look exactly like his father, but there is some resemblance.
There is no resemblance between her and her sister.

Recent Examples of resemblance from the Web

Exxon, the largest descendant of that monopoly, bears a resemblance to Standard Oil even now.

— bradley olson, WSJ, "Exxon, Once a ‘Perfect Machine,’ Is Running Dry," 13 July 2018
And in a way, such a ring does give a stamp of permanence, even if the stamp bears a strong resemblance to Bozo the Clown.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Cowardly super teams turning NBA into a laugher," 3 July 2018
The actor bears a suspicious resemblance to onetime Trump communications director Sean Spicer.

— michael phillips, kansascity, "In ‘First Purge’ prequel, there’s no avoiding politics or buckets of blood," 3 July 2018
The actor bears a suspicious resemblance to onetime Trump communications director Sean Spicer.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'The First Purge' review: The riskiest-ever federal entitlement program begins," 3 July 2018
The actor bears a suspicious resemblance to onetime Trump communications director Sean Spicer.

— michael phillips, The Seattle Times, "‘The First Purge’: Violent, erratic prequel shows how it all began," 3 July 2018
The viral popularity of the Arthur meme made the Internet and Teigen realize that Arthur bears a strong resemblance to Legend, something that Teigen used to expertly troll her husband now.

— cady lang, Time, "Chrissy Teigen Revives the Arthur Meme With a Perfect Troll of John Legend," 21 June 2018
Oliver also targeted China’s corruption clampdown and online censorship of Winnie the Pooh, who is said to bear a resemblance to Xi.

— james rogers, Fox News, "John Oliver blocked: China's Weibo website clamps down on comedian for mocking President Xi Jinping," 21 June 2018
Although the first half bore a striking resemblance to an 'attack versus defence' training session, Iran still threatened sporadically.

— SI.com, "Iran 0-1 Spain: Diego Costa & VAR Give La Roja Deserved Group B Win Despite Brave Iranian Resistance," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'resemblance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of resemblance

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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resemblance Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of resemblance

likeness, similarity, resemblance, similitude, analogy mean agreement or correspondence in details. likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike.