homelike

Homelike is used to describe places that feel like a home, especially one’s own home.

In many cases, it means the same thing as homey, which is used to describe a place as cozy, comfortable, and inviting.

A person might try to make their place (or a particular room in it) more homelike, typically by decorating it in a way that makes it cozier or more comfortable. Homelike can also be used to describe a place that’s not a home but that’s comfortable and inviting like your own home, such as a hotel room.

Example: The new fireplace makes the living room feel so homelike.

The first records of the word homelike come from the 1600s. The suffix -like is used to form adjectives. Homelike means “like a home,” but it especially means “like one’s own home.”

Everyone has a different idea of what makes a place homelike, and people have different ways of making their space homelike. This often involves adding things to make a space cozier, such as rugs, curtains, candles, artwork, and plants. However, a space can be made more homelike in other ways, such as by the presence of a loved one.

Homelike should not be confused with homely, which is most commonly used as a way to describe someone as unattractive.

What are some synonyms for homelike?

• homey
• cozy
• lived-in

What are some words that share a root or word element with homelike? 

• home

What are some words that often get used in discussing homelike?

• comfortable
• warm
• inviting
• house
• apartment
• room
• space
• feel

What are some words homelike may be commonly confused with?

• homely

Homelike is not that commonly used—it’s much more common to describe a space as homey. Both terms can be used to describe one’s own home, a room in it, or a space that feels as cozy or inviting as one’s own home.

My little flat is feeling much more homelike now that I’ve added a few things. Thanks @10streetsmarket @bestfriendvegas @choochoojoey

— Shaner is tired of waiting (@Shanerz) September 22, 2019

Smaller, more-homelike care facilities in the “Green House” model have often been dismissed as impractical. However, residents are five times as likely to be coronavirus-free as those who live in typical nursing homes. https://t.co/l1DlnegRXc

— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) November 4, 2020

My ma made my apartment feel more homelike in ten minutes than I did in two months

— izeah garcia (@isayugh) July 13, 2016

Which of the following words would be used to describe a space that’s considered homelike?

A. comfortable
B. inviting
C. warm
D. all of the above