liken

American  

[lahy-kuhn] / ˈlaɪ kən /

verb (used with object)

1. to represent as similar or like; compare.

   to liken someone to a weasel.

---

liken British  

/ ˈlaɪkən /

verb

1. (tr) to see or represent as the same or similar; compare

---

Other Word Forms

• unlikened adjective

Etymology

Origin of liken

First recorded in 1275–1325, liken is from the Middle English word liknen. See like ¹, -en ¹

Explanation

When you liken one thing to another, you compare them and point out what they have in common. You might liken your long walk to school to your ancestors' voyage across the ocean to the New World. When you equate two things, or emphasize their similarities, you liken them. You could liken your experience at the dentist to torture, or liken your dad's skill at baking pies to that of Rembrandt painting a portrait. Your grandmother might liken her romance with your grandfather to a fairy tale, and you could then liken the day you spent listening to her stories to watching a long, dull movie.

Example Sentences

This "is what replacing looks like," added Polanski, a charismatic figurehead some liken to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and who only took charge of the Greens last September.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Experts and activists liken it to searching for a snowball in a blizzard.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

“You can liken them to the next generation of the Boeings and the Northrup Grummans,” he said of new aerospace companies in town.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

Executives involved in China’s efforts liken the future of factories to living organisms that can increasingly think and act for themselves, moving beyond the preprogrammed tasks at traditionally-automated factories.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Unfortunately, I went on to liken Francis’ way of thinking to Pauling’s.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• equate
• relate