Synonym Chooser

How is the word similitude distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of similitude are analogy, likeness, resemblance, and similarity. While all these words mean "agreement or correspondence in details," similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

When is it sensible to use analogy instead of similitude?

The synonyms analogy and similitude 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 similitude?

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 might resemblance be a better fit than similitude?

In some situations, the words resemblance and similitude are roughly equivalent. However, resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

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 similitude What’s all the more vexing is how this situation thematically collides with Apollo 10 ½, which dramatizes its hero’s closeness to his space-age dreams through its similitude to real life. Vulture, 17 Oct. 2022 Human performers can play at such similitude, but robots fully embody it. Sydney Skybetter, Wired, 8 July 2021 Whatever similitude of separation between protesters and police there had been was gone. Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 29 May 2020 His adamant individualism is keyed precisely to his rejection of similitude to the manners of anyone else. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2020 Here are the top two innovations in iPad cases at CES 2011—standouts in a sea of similitude. Tyghe Trimble, Popular Mechanics, 8 Jan. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for similitude
Noun
  • Still, there are definitely similarities between the siblings, who are all graduating from Texas Tech’s College of Media & Communication.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 20 May 2025
  • There are definite similarities between Federal and Georgian-style architecture, as Federal can be viewed as an evolution of the latter.
    Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • There’s an obvious physical resemblance; born within months of one another in 1969, both actors are tall and lean but muscular, with angular features and, often, light, chin-grazing hair.
    Judy Berman, Time, 12 May 2025
  • On the menu was bone marrow, charred octopus with tentacles sprawling off the serving platter, and a deep-red cherry jubilee with an uncanny resemblance to blood (Isabelle even used a flambé technique at the table to wow her guests).
    Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Similitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/similitude. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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