Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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
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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of likeness

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

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.

The push goes beyond paper currency: federal officials have also approved a commemorative gold coin bearing Trump’s likeness, while proposals for a $1 coin featuring the president have raised legal and ethical questions.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Close, who has spent 33 years in coaching, including 15 at UCLA, has navigated an evolving landscape shaped by name, image and likeness compensation policies and the transfer portal, just like everyone else.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Sir Keir Starmer may have had a tough year in office, but in one key measure he is top of the shop: the Toby Jug in his likeness outsold all other prime ministers in 2025.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

On it was a cartoon likeness of a smiling, winking chef with a face shaped like a hamburger bun and, in big red letters, the word “McDonald’s.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

All kinds of businesses from hotels to laundries to humor magazines were using the horse’s likeness in their ads.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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.