adverb
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in addition; moreover; also
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in like manner; similarly
Usage
What does likewise mean? Likewise can mean also, in addition, moreover, similarly, or in the same way. Likewise can also be used to mean something like “me too” or “the same thing you just said.” When used this way, it’s typically used by itself as a one-word response to a statement. For example, if someone says, “It was nice you meet you,” you could simply reply, “Likewise!”Example: I think we work well together, and I hope you feel likewise.
Etymology
Origin of likewise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; earlier in like wise “in a like way;” see like 1, wise 2
Explanation
Likewise means "similarly." Your attempt to bypass security with a fake ID was unsuccessful, and your guise as a pizza deliverer was likewise ineffective. Likewise is an adverb with three different senses. One is "similarly." You were unimpressed with your brother's poetry, and likewise unimpressed with his taste in music. Likewise can also mean "in addition," and "equally." Your new t-shirts sold well at the beach boutique, and likewise they sold well on line. If you want to tell someone you feel the way he does, say, "I feel likewise."
Vocabulary lists containing likewise
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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.
Transit advocates likewise dismissed the idea, arguing lawmakers should remain focused on completing the station’s redevelopment and improving passenger service rather than debating a name change.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Customs and Border Protection likewise boasted its July 1 report “shows our highest level of compliance to date.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Quansah started well against Panama before getting injured, then did likewise against Mexico before he was sent off.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Odysseus is obsessed with honor, and Mr. Nolan has likewise done everything in his considerable power to pay worthy cinematic tribute to one of our foundational texts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The flight instructors mistakenly attributed the pilots’ deterioration to their praise of them, and likewise the pilots’ improvement to their criticism; both, however, were simply regressions to the more likely mean performance.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
