Definition of resemblancenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word resemblance distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of resemblance are analogy, likeness, similarity, and similitude. While all these words mean "agreement or correspondence in details," resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

When might analogy be a better fit than resemblance?

The synonyms analogy and resemblance are sometimes interchangeable, but analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

How are the words likeness and similarity related as synonyms of resemblance?

Likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike.

a remarkable likeness to his late father
some similarity between the two cases

When is it sensible to use similitude instead of resemblance?

The meanings of similitude and resemblance largely overlap; however, similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

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 resemblance France, Germany, Sweden, and others discovered their forecasts bore little resemblance to reality. Joshua Rauh, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025 But then again, the Others sending Zosia in the first place could be considered manipulation, because of her resemblance to Raban. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025 But to discover yourself outpaced by a reality that bears an uncanny resemblance to your own fiction seems to be a particularly painful indignity to bear, a kind of spiritual ransacking. Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025 While Man-su might not bear any immediate resemblance to Old Boy’s Dae-su, his suffering is also going to lead him to murder. Kayti Burt, Time, 18 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for resemblance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for resemblance
similarity
Noun
  • Mpro, an enzyme that allows SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in host cells, holds structural similarities.
    Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Researchers began to explore representational similarity among AI models with this approach in the mid-2010s and found that different models’ representations of the same concepts were often similar, though far from identical.
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 7 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Resemblance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/resemblance. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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