as in comparison
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1
as in comparing
to describe as similar
he generally likened a root canal to some horrible form of torture
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in equating
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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Recent Examples of likening
Jenna Adrian-Diaz, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
And a week ago, Dario Amodei—the CEO of Anthropic, and Altman’s chief rival—made a similar analogy, likening the training of AI models to human evolution and day-to-day learning.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Walz vowed to work with lawmakers on a relief package for businesses, likening the effort to similar measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Right-hander James Karinchak There’s a tired baseball cliche likening upside plays to lottery tickets.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026
California argued that the laws were valid safety regulations, likening them to speed limits or other traffic laws.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
Democrats, too, quickly blasted his remarks, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likening them to that of a dictator.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
To Lamont’s point, many top market watchers believe this is an AI boom, not a bubble, with Apollo Global Chief Economist Torsten Slok, for instance, releasing a chartbook likening the productivity boom from AI to the adoption of PCs and the internet.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
In the last decade, that norm has to some degree fallen away, with voices on both the right and left likening their opponents to Nazis.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
The inclusion of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten rounded out the trio of legendary French talents that Senbahar recruited, likening each facet of the project to an artist’s blank canvas.
—Jenna Adrian-Diaz, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
And a week ago, Dario Amodei—the CEO of Anthropic, and Altman’s chief rival—made a similar analogy, likening the training of AI models to human evolution and day-to-day learning.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Walz vowed to work with lawmakers on a relief package for businesses, likening the effort to similar measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Right-hander James Karinchak There’s a tired baseball cliche likening upside plays to lottery tickets.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 9 Feb. 2026
California argued that the laws were valid safety regulations, likening them to speed limits or other traffic laws.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
Democrats, too, quickly blasted his remarks, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likening them to that of a dictator.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
To Lamont’s point, many top market watchers believe this is an AI boom, not a bubble, with Apollo Global Chief Economist Torsten Slok, for instance, releasing a chartbook likening the productivity boom from AI to the adoption of PCs and the internet.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
In the last decade, that norm has to some degree fallen away, with voices on both the right and left likening their opponents to Nazis.
—Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likening
Noun
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While that amount pales in comparison to the $511 million allocated for transportation infrastructure — or even the $60 million for a new animal shelter — $10 million is still $10 million.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
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But that comparison is only valid if exclusively comparing regular unleaded gas and Level 3 fast chargers, which most EV drivers rarely use except for longer trips like this one.—
Adam L. Neal,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Savers should consider multiple factors when comparing a CD against a money market account this month.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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When comparing electric ranges from both top brands, there are notable differences in terms of cost and feature sets.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her lyrics declared independence from clingy lovers and assorted social expectations, often through analogies inspired by technology.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
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Once again using the housing analogy, think of VPS hosting as your own apartment in a building, with utilities that other tenants can't use.—
Gabriel Zamora,
PC Magazine,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Contemporary theories of consciousness generally attempt to bridge this gap by equating consciousness with some measurable, physical property of the brain.—
Conor Feehly,
Big Think,
10 Mar. 2026
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The administration reframes the drug war as military conflict, equating cartels to terrorist groups like ISIS and prioritizing lethal force over law enforcement.—
Joshua Goodman,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Their departures illustrate just how complicated the entire roster equation is, and perhaps how availability could outweigh the desire for name-power in future configurations.—
Johnny Flores Jr,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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School pride is just a small part of the equation for these places that effortlessly blend town and gown to create one vibrant community.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Likening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likening. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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