1
as in comparing
to describe as similar
he generally likened a root canal to some horrible form of torture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in comparison
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 likening
Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Yet likening aid to an insurance policy or a market venture misses the greatest strategic value of supporting others.
—Don Graves, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
High-rise residents in the neighborhood complained too, likening the ads beaming from the billboard to something from Las Vegas or Hong Kong.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Such comparisons are too easily drawn, with too much self-righteousness, as though the guilt for what was done to the Jews could be lightened just a little by likening them to their own murderers.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Farahani has often talked about the pain of exile, likening being separated from her native country to losing a limb.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, announced on Wednesday that the state would end all vaccine mandates, likening them to slavery.
—Connor Greene, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Protests broke out in several cities, including a hanging of the billionaire in effigy in Milan and posters in London likening him to a Nazi.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Critics also argue that the deals treat African nations as political bargaining chips, with legal experts likening the practice to human trafficking.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
He's posted a video likening it to the Grim Reaper.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Yet likening aid to an insurance policy or a market venture misses the greatest strategic value of supporting others.
—Don Graves, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
High-rise residents in the neighborhood complained too, likening the ads beaming from the billboard to something from Las Vegas or Hong Kong.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Such comparisons are too easily drawn, with too much self-righteousness, as though the guilt for what was done to the Jews could be lightened just a little by likening them to their own murderers.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Farahani has often talked about the pain of exile, likening being separated from her native country to losing a limb.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, announced on Wednesday that the state would end all vaccine mandates, likening them to slavery.
—Connor Greene, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
Protests broke out in several cities, including a hanging of the billionaire in effigy in Milan and posters in London likening him to a Nazi.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Critics also argue that the deals treat African nations as political bargaining chips, with legal experts likening the practice to human trafficking.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likening
Verb
-
The site develops a compatibility score after comparing your quiz with other daters’—you can see this score when viewing their individual profiles.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Getting quotes and comparing them is the best way to understand if this is your situation or not.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For comparison, ticket sales dropped a standard 53% at the domestic box office.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
5 Oct. 2025
-
By comparison, the last large-scale lease sale in the Powder River Basin, also for 167 million tons of coal, drew a bid of $35 million in 2013.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Carro, referring prior case law, said equating Mangione’s motives with terrorism risks trivializing the term.—
Max Rego,
The Hill,
16 Sep. 2025
-
For their part, Israeli leaders discovered the political utility of equating such hostility with Europe’s fascist past.—
Daniel May,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
When the United States joined NATO in 1949, American policymakers pointed to the Rio Pact as a precedent and drew analogies between the alliance’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, and the Monroe Doctrine.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Where words divide, the Saint Laurent aesthetic creates space to breathe and invent new analogies.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
It was described by the Butler-Volmer equation.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Multiple versions of platform clogs were spotted on streets around NYFW shows a few weeks ago, whether in suede or leather materials, and fashion insiders provided inspiration ripe for the picking on how exactly to pair them with fall outfit equations.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Likening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likening. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share