Definition of UNLIKE

Can unlike be used as a conjunction?: Usage Guide

Conjunction

The use of unlike as a conjunction is less common than conjunctive use of like and, while criticized, is not as frequently cited as an error. The conjunctive unlike almost always introduces a prepositional phrase. unlike in other areas, the judiciary cannot justify its attempt … as a necessary evil —Alexandra M. Walsh, Stanford Law Rev. In spite of criticism, this conjunctive use of unlike is well established in both American and British English.

Examples of unlike in a Sentence

Adjective

a comparison of unlike things you're trying to compare very unlike things—like those proverbial apples and oranges

Preposition

The plants that grow here are unlike the plants that grow where I live. She's unlike anyone I've ever met.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

And not unlike Discover’s own program, retailing giant Walmart announced in late May plans to offer subsidized college tuition for its workers, both online and in-person, at the University of Florida, Brandman University, and Bellevue University. — Lucinda Shen, Fortune, "Discover to Offer Full-Ride Online Bachelor's Degrees," 12 June 2018 Xhaka is currently at the World Cup with his national team - unlike Bellerin, who was passed over for Dani Carvajal and Álvaro Odriozola, with Nacho and Cesar Azpilicueta preferred by Julen Lopetegui as versatile backup options. — SI.com, "Hector Bellerin Named as One of Unai Emery's 5 'Untouchables' at Arsenal as New Regime Takes Shape," 19 June 2018 In Canada, a flaky tart shell holds a dense, sweet sugar custard not unlike pecan pie filling. — Florence Fabricant, New York Times, "Butter Tarts Clear Customs," 29 May 2018 Because unlike students being murdered in their American classrooms, a Royal Wedding is a rare event. — Nicole Hockley, Time, "My Youngest Son Was Murdered at Sandy Hook. I Worry About the One Who Survived," 21 May 2018 But as scary as news of a failure in your bank's online security system can be, there's something even more terrifying about human failures; unlike network breaches, these strike at our primal need to trust. — Daniel Mendelsohn, Town & Country, "How Notorious White-Collar Criminals Use Their Friends and Social Connections," 4 Nov. 2016 That's not unlike Trump going after former Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who resigned his seat after allegations of unwanted and forcible kissing by multiple women. — Z. Byron Wolf, CNN, "Hubris, hypocrisy and (former) NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman," 8 May 2018 And beams of light, unlike wires, are hazardous to human eyeballs, which means that these bots are not going to be free to play Johnny Appleseed any time soon. — Ellen Airhart, WIRED, "This Insect-Sized Flying Robot Is Powered by Lasers," 15 May 2018 Both service and support animals fly in the cabin for free, unlike household pets, for which American charges a $125 fee. — Lauren Zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "American Airlines bans emotional support amphibians, ferrets, goats and more," 14 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition

Gordon says those animals may carry diseases and, unlike the others, aren’t used to seeing large groups of people and would be stressed by visitors. — David Grimm, Science | AAAS, "‘A cataclysmic wake-up call’: Can more candor win back support for animal research?," 26 June 2018 Research shows that unlike typical allergic reactions that occur within a half-hour of exposure to an allergen, alpha-gal reactions can take three to six hours to manifest. — Thomas Leavy, CBS News, "Maine on the lookout for ticks that cause red-meat allergy," 25 June 2018 The home’s exterior has been framed in redwood, giving it a curb appeal unlike any other in the community. — Mary Wakeford, azcentral, "Maryvale teachers turn John F. Long house into a carpenter's dream," 22 June 2018 This Roo hammock is big enough for two people and, unlike most others on the market, is made from ripstop nylon to resist tears. — Emily Reed, Outside Online, "How to Build Your Perfect Car Camping Box," 12 June 2018 There's a resurgence going on in the downtown Central Business District and its edge neighborhoods that's unlike anything Louisville has ever seen before. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Where you can live on a typical income around downtown Louisville," 9 July 2018 But unlike most automakers—Ford, GM, BMW, Toyota, [to name a few]—that automate to lessen the burden on their workers, Musk wanted to replace [the workers]. — Chuck Tannert, Popular Mechanics, "Can Tesla Keep Up the Model 3 Pace?," 2 July 2018 The third and final version added two countries -- Venezuela and North Korea -- that, unlike the ones targeted from the start, don’t have Muslim majorities. — Laurence Arnold, Bloomberg.com, "Who's Welcome (or Not) in U.S. After Trump Ban Upheld," 27 June 2018 What about her work, which has often focused on the rich families of New England, not unlike the Bordens, was interesting to you? — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "The Original Preppy Murder: Chloë Sevigny Takes the Lead in Her New Film About Lizzie Borden," 27 June 2018

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