Synonym Chooser

How is the word similarity distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of similarity are analogy, likeness, resemblance, and similitude. While all these words mean "agreement or correspondence in details," 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 could analogy be used to replace similarity?

In some situations, the words analogy and similarity are roughly equivalent. However, analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

Where would resemblance be a reasonable alternative to similarity?

The words resemblance and similarity can be used in similar contexts, but resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

In what contexts can similitude take the place of similarity?

While in some cases nearly identical to similarity, 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 similarity All broccoli varieties have similarities, but each is distinct in appearance, flavor profile, and nutritional benefits. Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 30 Oct. 2025 Obsessed anglers who lived in Key West, and whose fiction sometimes gravitates toward horses, blood sports, and male protagonists with a masculine swagger counterbalanced by a certain reflective, existentialist temperament—the similarities between the two are obvious, yet go only so far. Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025 Despite the nearly identical nature of her pen name and the name of the conversion therapist, the author said similarities between the two were purely coincidental. Quispe López, Them., 30 Oct. 2025 In the Lo Scarpone article, Moro and Mondinelli included screengrabs of Confortola’s photographs, as well as photos from other climbers, to show the similarities. Owen Clarke, Outside, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for similarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for similarity
resemblance
Noun
  • Joyce's nebula scene captures the expanding shell of the supernova remnant CTB 1, also known as both the Garlic Nebula and the Medulla Nebula for its resemblance to both the bulbous plant and the human brain.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Rob even shared a photo of Dream wearing one of his childhood shirts in 2021, and the resemblance was uncanny.
    Emy LaCroix, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Similarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/similarity. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on similarity

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