UNLIKE Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

unlike

adjective

ˌən-ˈlīk

Definition of unlike

as in different

being not of the same kind you're trying to compare very unlike things—like those proverbial apples and oranges

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unlike The plan is unlike to pass in its current form, and some environmental groups and Democrats already vow to oppose it. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2026 Or the move could have been to help the calf stay afloat—unlike adults, young sperm whales tend to sink and need to swim harder to reach the surface to breathe. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026 Extreme cold is especially dangerous for donkeys because unlike horses, donkeys don’t have the natural oils in their coats that repel moisture, Vargas said. — Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026 What’s more, plastic—unlike glass and aluminum—loses its functionality when it’s recycled. — Judith Enck, Time, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unlike

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlike

Adjective

The two questions the high court will examine include how the Employment Division‘s rule on a law’s neutrality should be applied and if the 10th Circuit should have used a different precedent as its guide, rather than the Employment Division.

— Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
The aircraft have different sizes and operating capabilities, but investigators have not indicated whether those differences contributed to the collision.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of different

Adjective

The growing experience of assemblies proves that people of widely disparate ideologies and diverse demographic backgrounds can come together and deliberate on issues of public policy.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
The International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that sodium-ion battery production remains heavily concentrated in China, despite the potential for more geographically diverse raw-material supplies.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of diverse

Adjective

Altadena had a distinctive and cherished identity before the fire.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
The tiny Norwegian archipelago, 68 degrees north of the Arctic Circle and two flights from Oslo, is a distinctive and dramatic landscape with spiky mountains rising from the Norwegian Sea and sandy beaches fringed by fjords.

— Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of distinctive

Adjective

Ideas can be measured through semantic distance, which is a way of quantifying how distinct individual concepts are.

— Roger Beaty, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026
Netflix logged 21 positions spread over 18 series, the broadest range of distinct titles of the platforms the report examined.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of distinct

Adjective

Tellingly, most other states give local governments this ability.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
His church, the Church of the Resurrection, was at the forefront of efforts to make the United Methodist Church more inclusive to LGBTQ congregants, but many other churches supported the change.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026