dissimilar
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dissimilar
Explanation
If your sister has dark skin and dark hair, and you have fair skin and fair hair, people might say that your looks are dissimilar or not alike. Inside of dissimilar you find similar which means alike. By now, you've probably figured out that dis at the beginning of a word tells you the word means the opposite of whatever comes after. That rule holds here. Dissimilar is the opposite of similar. You've probably heard that you should not use double negatives. Well with dissimilar, it's okay to say something like, "Art is not dissimilar to music in that it is a creative activity. Here, "not dissimilar" means similar.
Vocabulary lists containing dissimilar
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Power Prefix: Dis-
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"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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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.
Dissimilar particles can sometimes become entangled, but until now, these mismatched entangled particles weren’t known to interfere with one another.
From Scientific American • Jan. 11, 2023
Dissimilar siblings team up to tackle seventh grade in the new mockumentary-style sitcom “Legendary Dudas.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2016
I stare at a table of numbers whose columns are labeled DA DN SA SN, and have to flip back and scan for the explanation: Dissimilar Affirmative, Dissimilar Negative, Similar Affirmative, Similar Negative.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Dissimilar as they were in nature, their points of resemblance were notable.
From Bygones Worth Remembering, Vol. 2 (of 2) by Holyoake, George Jacob
Dissimilar in character in many ways they were, but this same dissimilarity seemed but to increase their mutual regard and esteem.
From Wild Adventures round the Pole The Cruise of the "Snowbird" Crew in the "Arrandoon" by Stables, Gordon
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.
