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dissimilar

/dɪˈsɪmələr//dɪˈsɪmɪlə/·adjective
different in nature or kind; not alike
Fig. 1 — Two metal rods hang in one jar of fluid — a copper one, warm and red, and a zinc one, cold and grey — and even by eye they are plainly different stuff.
01Definition

Dissimilar means unlike in nature or kind — different not by a shade but at the root. It is built from dis-, 'not', and the Latin similis, 'like', the same root as 'similar' and 'resemble'. The word leans formal and is often technical: engineers warn that dissimilar metals in contact will corrode, because the gap between them is real enough to drive a current. To call two things dissimilar is to say they are other in kind, and usually that the contrast is plain enough to distinguish at a glance.

02In use
  • iThe two minerals are chemically dissimilar, however alike they look to the eye.
  • iiHer method is wholly dissimilar to her mentor's, and the two approaches diverge sharply.
  • iiiCritics discern a dissimilar tone in the writer's later, darker novels.
03Collocations
  • dissimilar to
  • markedly dissimilar
  • dissimilar metals
  • wholly dissimilar
  • not dissimilar to

Family dissimilarity (noun)

04Relations

=unalike, different, disparate, divergent, distinct

≠similar, alike, identical, comparable

05Compared
PairThe difference
dissimilar vs similaralike without being identical → similar; unlike in nature, said formally → dissimilar.
dissimilar vs unalikea difference of kind or category → dissimilar; a plain absence of resemblance (they just don't match) → unalike.
06TOEFL & IELTS

A formal step up from 'different', common in TOEFL/IELTS science and comparison passages. Note the preposition: dissimilar TO is standard (dissimilar FROM also occurs but is rarer). The technical phrase 'dissimilar metals' shows up in physics and engineering texts. Watch the litotes 'not dissimilar to', which actually means 'quite similar'. Keep it apart from its near-twin unalike, which is plainer and stresses a simple lack of resemblance rather than a difference in kind.

07Asked
Is it 'dissimilar to' or 'dissimilar from'?
To is the standard choice and the safer one for exams — 'the results were not dissimilar to ours'. Dissimilar from is also correct and does occur, just far less often. Both read as formal English; there is no 'dissimilar than'. When unsure, use to and you will never be marked wrong.
What is the difference between dissimilar and different?
Different is the plain, everyday word for not the same, across any degree. Dissimilar is formal and stronger: it says things are unlike at the root, different in kind rather than in a shade. Two coins can be different (dates, wear) yet not dissimilar. Reach for dissimilar in technical and academic writing where 'different' feels too casual.
What does 'not dissimilar to' mean?
It means 'quite similar' — a double negative that softens the claim. 'Her style is not dissimilar to his' hedges: alike, but the speaker won't commit to how much. Writers use it for cautious comparison, and it is common in British academic prose. Read it as 'rather similar, said carefully', not as 'different'.
What are 'dissimilar metals'?
Two different metals in contact, which can corrode when moisture bridges them — the more reactive one eats away while a small current flows, called galvanic corrosion. The scene above is exactly this: a copper and a zinc rod in one fluid, a wire between them lighting a circuit as the zinc slowly dissolves. Engineers keep dissimilar metals apart for this reason.
What is the difference between dissimilar and unalike?
The quick tell: unalike is the plainer word, stressing a simple lack of resemblance, while dissimilar is formal and points to a difference in kind. The full contrast, with both animated scenes, is on the dissimilar vs unalike page in the 'Compared' list above.