adverb
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in addition; moreover; also
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in like manner; similarly
Usage
What does likewise mean? Likewise can mean also, in addition, moreover, similarly, or in the same way. Likewise can also be used to mean something like “me too” or “the same thing you just said.” When used this way, it’s typically used by itself as a one-word response to a statement. For example, if someone says, “It was nice you meet you,” you could simply reply, “Likewise!”Example: I think we work well together, and I hope you feel likewise.
Etymology
Origin of likewise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; earlier in like wise “in a like way;” see like 1, wise 2
Explanation
Likewise means "similarly." Your attempt to bypass security with a fake ID was unsuccessful, and your guise as a pizza deliverer was likewise ineffective. Likewise is an adverb with three different senses. One is "similarly." You were unimpressed with your brother's poetry, and likewise unimpressed with his taste in music. Likewise can also mean "in addition," and "equally." Your new t-shirts sold well at the beach boutique, and likewise they sold well on line. If you want to tell someone you feel the way he does, say, "I feel likewise."
Vocabulary lists containing likewise
Academic Vocabulary, Unit 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And isn’t it a premise of the tax system that we each pay for services we don’t want or don’t need, because we expect others to do likewise?
From Slate • May 11, 2026
Rheinmetall shares are likewise off 30% from a January peak.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey likewise condemned the "really shocking scenes".
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
Two years later, John C. Doerfer, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, likewise bowed out when it was revealed he had vacationed on the yacht of a wealthy friend.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026
Uncle Andrew turned to do likewise, tripped over a root, and fell flat on his face in a little brook that ran down to join the river.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
