liken

[ lahy-kuh n ]

/ ˈlaɪ kən /

verb (used with object)

to represent as similar or like; compare: to liken someone to a weasel.

Words nearby liken

like water off a duck's back, like-minded, likelihood, likely, likely as not, liken, likeness, likes of, the, likewise, likin, liking

Origin of liken

First recorded in 1275–1325, liken is from the Middle English word liknen. See like¹, -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM liken

un·lik·ened, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH liken

lichen liken

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for likening

Likening their creation to a cultural telescope, they proceed to share some of their ostensibly dazzling findings.
Why Big Data Doesn’t Live up to the Hype|Nick Romeo|January 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He displayed “an attitude of complacency,” with one likening him to “a dodgy geezer.”
Britain’s Dodgy Coppers|Graeme McLagan|July 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Khrushchev was offended by that likening of him to a dog barking.
Nikita Khrushchev, Talk Show Guest|Stephen Battaglio|November 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Kiselyov is fond of Third Reich references, likening Russian anti-corruption campaigner and Putin critic Alexey Navalny to Hitler.
Putin’s New Shock Jock|James Kirchick|December 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Therefore likening God to man is not so degrading as likening Him to mere natural forces.
The Truth of Christianity|William Harry Turton
A scientific theory has been described as "the likening of our imaginings to what we actually observe."
The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry|M. M. Pattison Muir
Landor volleyed forth his thunderous praises over her grave, likening her to Juliet and Desdemona.
Life of Charles Dickens|Frank Marzials
Yet he was no gourmet, as may be judged by his likening of a succulent, golden-fried oyster to "a baby's ear dropped in sawdust."
The Complete Book of Cheese|Robert Carlton Brown
Bearing in mind our likening Macy's to an army in an earlier chapter, the parallel now becomes a close one indeed.
The Romance of a Great Store|Edward Hungerford

British Dictionary definitions for likening

liken

/ (ˈlaɪkən) /

verb

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

Word Origin for liken

C14: from like 1 (adj)

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

liken

verb (used with object)

Content related to liken

Words related to liken

Words nearby liken

Origin of liken

OTHER WORDS FROM liken

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH liken

Examples from the Web for likening

British Dictionary definitions for likening

verb

Word Origin for liken