likeness

American  

[lahyk-nis] / ˈlaɪk nɪs /

noun

1. a representation, picture, or image, especially a portrait.

   to draw a good likeness of Churchill.

2. the state or fact of being like.

   I can't get over your likeness to my friend.

   Synonyms:

   similitude, resemblance

3. the semblance or appearance of something; guise.

   to assume the likeness of a swan.

   Synonyms:

   form, shape

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likeness British  

/ ˈlaɪknɪs /

noun

1. the condition of being alike; similarity

2. a painted, carved, moulded, or graphic image of a person or thing

3. an imitative appearance; semblance

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Etymology

Origin of likeness

before 950; Middle English liknesse, Old English līcnes, variant of gelīcnes. See alike, -ness

Example Sentences

Swift received permission from the estate of Taylor, who died in 2011 at the age of 73, to release the song and to use her likeness in the music video.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Sam Altman, the Chief Executive of OpenAI, encouraged users to slap his likeness onto AI-generated scenes and other pop culture videos.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

They will insert their own likeness into an AI movie generator so they can watch a movie with themselves as the main character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Nova said she and other friends in the industry “are having to double, triple check our contracts to make sure that we’re not accidentally signing away our likeness for use of AI purposes.”

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

This apparently contradictory object turned Brunelleschi’s drawing, almost magically, into such a good likeness of the three-dimensional Baptistery building that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• depiction
• effigy
• facsimile
• image
• photograph
• portrait
• replica
• reproduction