lexicow

similar

/ˈsɪmələr//ˈsɪmɪlə/·adjective
Two pendulums of the same length hang from one brass beam, lit warm from the left. Set them going and they move as a single body — both bobs rising together, pausing at the same height, falling back together, stroke after stroke without ever slipping. Because their rods match, their rhythm matches, and a warm glow gathers around the pair as they stay in register. Nothing pulls them apart; they simply keep the same time, swinging on as one.
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Definition

Similar means alike — sharing qualities or appearance without being the same. It comes from the Latin similis, 'like', the root behind 'resemble', 'assimilate', and 'simile'. Two things are similar when they correspond closely enough to invite comparison, yet stay distinct, so that you might draw an analogy between them. The standard preposition is 'similar to'. It is gentler than 'identical', which claims full sameness, and it is the natural opposite of different.

Examples

  • The two languages are similar enough that a speaker of one can often follow the other.
  • Her results were similar to those of earlier studies, which lent them weight.
  • We chose a similar strategy to the one that had worked the year before.

Collocations

similar to·broadly similar·strikingly similar·a similar approach·in a similar way

Synonyms

alike·comparable·akin·analogous·like

Antonyms

different·dissimilar·unalike·distinct

See also

Word family

similarity (noun)·similarly (adverb)

In TOEFL & IELTS

Take the preposition 'similar to' (not 'similar with'). For IELTS Writing Task 1, 'broadly similar' and 'strikingly similar' describe figures that move together; 'similarly' is a clean linker between parallel points. Keep it apart from 'the same' (identical) and from dissimilar; 'not dissimilar' is a formal way of saying quite similar.