liken

American  

[lahy-kuhn] / ˈlaɪ kən /

verb (used with object)

1. to represent as similar or like; compare.

   to liken someone to a weasel.

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liken British  

/ ˈlaɪkən /

verb

1. (tr) to see or represent as the same or similar; compare

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Other Word Forms

• unlikened
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of liken

First recorded in 1275–1325, liken is from the Middle English word liknen. See like ¹, -en ¹

Explanation

When you liken one thing to another, you compare them and point out what they have in common. You might liken your long walk to school to your ancestors' voyage across the ocean to the New World. When you equate two things, or emphasize their similarities, you liken them. You could liken your experience at the dentist to torture, or liken your dad's skill at baking pies to that of Rembrandt painting a portrait. Your grandmother might liken her romance with your grandfather to a fairy tale, and you could then liken the day you spent listening to her stories to watching a long, dull movie.

Example Sentences

"Because I knew him from before, my defenses were down," says Liken.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Liken not your old friend unto a Bath bun," said he.

From The Red Thumb Mark by Freeman, R. Austin (Richard Austin)

Liken it to anything, if you have the heart.

From Egmont by Swanwick, Anna

The latter form part of the Liken Archipelago, known only through the letters of Father Goubil, a Jesuit.

From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part 2. The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Benett, Léon

"Liken thou that, O Conaire," says every one: "what is this noise?"

From The Harvard Classics, Volume 49, Epic and Saga With Introductions And Notes by Eliot, Charles William

Related Words

• equate
• relate