similar

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Alike in one or more ways without being exactly the same.

   Grammar: Followed by 'to,' never 'with': similar to my brother, not similar with.

   Patterns

   • similar to something
   • very similar
   • remarkably similar
   • similar in appearance

   My new phone is very similar to my old one in size and weight.

   The two brothers are similar in appearance but very different in personality.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounmathematics

   In geometry, having the same shape but not necessarily the same size.

   Grammar: Always used before a noun in this technical sense: similar triangles.

   Patterns

   • similar triangles
   • similar figures

   Similar triangles have equal angles but different side lengths.

   The student proved the two rectangles were not similar because their proportions differed.

Common combinations

similar to

Her writing style is similar to her mother's.

very similar

The two houses look very similar from the street.

similar in size

The two laptops are similar in size but differ in price.

broadly similar

The proposals are broadly similar in their main goals.

Synonyms and how they differ

alike

Alike usually follows a linking verb and cannot come before a noun; similar can do both.

comparable

Comparable stresses that two things can reasonably be measured against each other, not just that they look alike.

akin

Akin is formal and literary, often used for ideas or qualities rather than physical resemblance.

Opposites

Word family

similarity noun

The state of being alike; a shared feature.

similarly adverb

In a similar way; also used to introduce a parallel point.

dissimilar adjective

Not alike; lacking common features.

Commonly confused: similar or same? similar or familiar?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “similar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words