likeness
Americannoun
-
likenesses
plural
-
a representation, picture, or image, especially a portrait.
to draw a good likeness of Churchill.
-
the state or fact of being like.
I can't get over your likeness to my friend.
- Synonyms:
- similitude, resemblance
-
the semblance or appearance of something; guise.
to assume the likeness of a swan.
noun
-
the condition of being alike; similarity
-
a painted, carved, moulded, or graphic image of a person or thing
-
an imitative appearance; semblance
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of likeness
before 950; Middle English liknesse, Old English līcnes, variant of gelīcnes. See alike, -ness
Explanation
A likeness is a portrait, or a head-turning resemblance. George Washington’s likeness appears on the dollar bill. A potato might bear an uncanny likeness to my grandfather. Likeness has nothing to do with liking someone or something––it’s all about what something looks like. It’s been in use since before the 12th century, when likenesses had to be drawn or painted, rather than snapped with a digital camera. If the only picture you had of your mom was one your brother drew, you would value it more if it was a good likeness, meaning it really looked “like” her.
Vocabulary lists containing likeness
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Stories of Ourselves
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Trash
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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.
See Examples For:
In addition, multiple media outlets are reporting a possible investigation into the Tar Heels football program by the College Sports Commission, which regulates revenue sharing and name, image and likeness deals in collegiate sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She also used AI images based on Davies' likeness, and used the fake profiles to strike up real-life romantic relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
As Thompson started mulling video cover letters, she signed a newly “Human Consent Registry” to try guarding her name, image and likeness against unauthorized AI use.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a rendering of a new limited-edition US passport to mark the country's 250th anniversary of independence -- featuring his stern-faced likeness.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
The similarities between genomes must explain the likeness between parents and their children, and mutations and recombination might explain their differences.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The hospital should absolutely inform physicians if their names and likenesses are being employed in this way, and they should also be told in advance what patients will be solicited in their name.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Some performers have also advocated for getting paid if their likenesses are used to create such characters made through AI systems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
The homophonic novels share other likenesses: Both center on estranged sisters, both are set against a backdrop of political unrest and both feature the unlikely appearance of a horse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
“Spud” will be of no reassurance to Disney, which inked a billion-dollar deal with OpenAI in December to allow Sora users to generate likenesses of many characters.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
The earliest preserved likenesses of Japan’s inhabitants are statues called baniwa, erected outside tombs around 1,500 years ago.
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.
