likened

past tense of liken
1
as in compared
to describe as similar he generally likened a root canal to some horrible form of torture

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2
as in identified
to regard or represent as equal or comparable I think that we can liken the two pianists, at least in terms of natural talent

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of likened Rosier likened the collaboration with Augustinus Bader’s existing work with Victoria Beckham. James Manso, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2025 Williams likened it to the way Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr describes some Steph Curry shots. Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025 Just a few months ago, Carlson himself likened Fuentes to David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, and accused Fuentes of being part of a campaign to say the most bigoted things possible to make the rest of the right look bad. Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025 Chang likened the monthly fee that would be created under the proposal to the charge created last year in Michigan's Energy Assistance Program, where a monthly fee is tacked onto residents' energy bills. Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025 Tony Han, founder and CEO of autonomous driving technology company WeRide, likened the development of self-driving cars to the Wright brothers’ successful first flight of a powered aircraft. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025 Officials have likened it to past expansions such as the creation of the West Wing and reconstruction of the Executive Mansion. Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 Drinkwitz likened quarterback Diego Pavia to a magician. Chase Gemes, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025 Martin likened the conservative influence on the Pennsylvania judicial election to the influence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk pouring money behind conservative Judge Brad Schimel in Wisconsin, who lost his election in April. Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likened
Verb
  • Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in international security at King’s College London, compared the adversaries’ behavior to a childhood game of chicken.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The new champ surged 27% in plays for the tracking period compared with the previous frame, securing it the Greatest Gainer honor, which is awarded to the song with the biggest weekly increase in play count.
    Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Defense Priorities scholars argue that the cartels are being falsely equated with terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, and warn of mission creep without clear objectives or legal justification.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • But another line of thinking argues that correlation should not be equated with causation.
    David W. Lawson, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Likened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likened. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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