Dictionary

-like en · X

Pronunciation

• /-laɪk/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-West Germanic *-līk Old English -līċ Middle English -like English -like From Middle English -like, -lik, from Middle English like, lik (“same, similar, alike”), from Old English ġelīc and Old Norse líkr (“same, similar, alike”). Reinforced by like (preposition). Doublet of -ly. Compare also Dutch -lijk (“-ly, -like”).

Meanings

1. (morpheme) Resembling, having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns).
   • Even at 13 years old, she still had a childlike voice.
   • What other television show would feature a gorgeously designed sequence where a horrifically mutated Pierre and Marie Curie, their bodies swollen to Godzilla-like proportions from prolonged exposure to the radiation that would eventually kill them, destroy an Asian city with their bare hands like vengeance-crazed monster-Gods? […] Because the audience couldn’t possibly be expected to know who the Curies were, let alone that they were married and died of radiation poisoning, and devoting precious time to a scene of the scientists as Mothra-like destroyers does nothing but waste time and alienate an audience that just wants to hear characters spout their catchphrases. 2012 May 20, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Marge Gets A Job” (season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 16 Aug 2012:
   • 1996, Kevin Siembieda, Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game page 128 under "Dark" Damage: Those with normal, human-like vision are blind
   • I saw the snake-like coils of the garden hose peeking out from under the deck.
2. (dialectal, morpheme) Used to form adverbs from adjectives or nouns; alternative of -ly.
   • The Spanish speak machine-gun-like.
   • Hah! Big, bad Punio. Listen to yourself! Trying to sound all important-like! 2004, Intelligent Systems, translated by Nintendo of America, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Nintendo, GameCube, level/area: Boggly Woods:

Forms

Synonyms

-y · -esque · -some · -oid · -ish · -form · -ass · quasi- · -iform · -ly · para-

Translations (59)

ja みたい (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · sv -artad (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fa ـدیس (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · la -oides (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ka -ებრ (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -szerű (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -ımsı (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ml പോലത്തെ (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · az sayağı (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fi -n kaltainen (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ka -ვით (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · de -artig (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · nl -achtig (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · de -ähnlich (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · de -haft (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -si (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -ca (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ka -ებრი (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fi -moinen (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hy -նման (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -umsu (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -es (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · cmn 般 (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ja っぽい (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -as (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fa ـوش (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tl mala- (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · az -varı (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · az -i (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -ce (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · pl -aty (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -sı (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fr -ine (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · sv -lik (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -su (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -ça (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · cmn 如 (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · es cuasi- (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · is -legur (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fi -llinen (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -imsi (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ru -подо́бный (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · az təhəri (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · fr -in (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · az -vari (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ja 様 (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · sv -aktig (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · eo -eca (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ja の様に (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · es algo (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -s (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -ümsü (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hy -կերպ (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · ar كَـ (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · es propio de (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -sü (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -os (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · tr -çe (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns)) · hu -ös (having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns))