similarly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of similarly
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How does similarly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you do something similarly, you do it nearly the same way as someone else. At a school bake sale, you might decide to price your brownies similarly to your friend's Rice Krispie treats. Use the adverb similarly to describe something that's done in a way that mirrors or almost duplicates something else. If one little boy dresses up in a red cape at preschool, his best friend might costume himself similarly, in a red scarf and crown. When your neighbor tells you about her vacation in Hawaii, you might be inspired to travel similarly. The word comes from the adjective similar, which means "resembling," and has a Latin root, similis, "like."
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.
Portions of the river similarly dried up in 2021, 2022 and 2023, even after the state started imposing limits on how much water farmers could take.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Work is similarly under way to improve Europe's early warning system with plans under discussion including reinforcing the mandate of the bloc's border agency Frontex to conduct social media monitoring.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Northern Ireland's most senior judge, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, similarly described the situation as "unprecedented".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
She had similarly grown concerned about AI’s trajectory, colleagues said, and would go on to invest $10 million into Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
We know that Galapagos and Antarctic birds and mammals, which similarly evolved in the absence of humans and did not see humans until modern times, are still incurably tame today.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
