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 This particular dachshund's antics were enough to spark a wave of both laughter and empathy from viewers, many of whom likened the behavior to their own pets' end-of-day routines. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 Zaslow likened the situation to hiking a 14er for a few hours. Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025 The chatbot likened itself and Brooks to historical scientific figures such as Alan Turing and Nikola Tesla. Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 Caruso likened the Vandals to North Dakota State and South Dakota State, two of the perennial powers in the FCS. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 5 Sep. 2025 Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo likened the requirements to slavery. Tara Suter, The Hill, 4 Sep. 2025 Some have likened existing AI to the days of the Wild West. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 In light of the extraordinary privations and mass killing of Gaza’s civilian population in the current war, Hamas’s external leader, Khaled Meshaal, has likened Gaza to Algeria, where independence was achieved only after the death of more than a million civilians. Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025 Grumet likened the process to going to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the 1950s-era Soviet Union. Jordan Blum, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likened
Verb
  • Data from Crunchbase shows that 25 unicorns having gone public or been acquired between May 2024 and May 2025, compared with 15 over the same period in the previous year.
    Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The city was picked after site visits to six states that compared factors such as infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Defense Department.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In a terse statement confirming only the broad outlines of the incident, the Pentagon equated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government to a narco-trafficking cartel, allegations Caracas denies.
    Phil Stewart, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Like President Reagan, those pushing for democracy promotion equated political freedom with strengthening free markets and thereby lessening the attraction abroad to movements—including but not limited to communism—that aimed to redistribute resources to reduce economic inequality.
    Time, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Likened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likened. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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