similarity

noun

sim·​i·​lar·​i·​ty ˌsi-mə-ˈler-ə-tē 

-ˈla-rə-

plural similarities

1

: the quality or state of being similar : resemblance

2

: a comparable aspect : correspondence

Synonyms

• alikeness
• community
• comparability
• correspondence
• likeness
• parallelism
• resemblance
• similitude

Choose the Right Synonym for similarity

likeness, similarity, resemblance, similitude, analogy mean agreement or correspondence in details.

likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike.

a remarkable likeness to his late father

some similarity between the two cases

resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

Examples of similarity in a Sentence

I doubt that these words are related beyond a similarity in sound.

The books share a similarity of ideas.

I see a lot of similarities in them.

Looking at these fossils, I see some similarity to modern-day birds.

I see very little similarity between your situation and his.

Recent Examples on the Web

The similarities among these places are real, because Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and, until now, Syria all belong to an informal network of autocracies. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2024

Law, whose slow-burn performance is unlike any prior role from his four decades on stage and screen, says the similarities between Husk and Mathews as two opposites of the same coin are at the core of The Order’s dramatic tension. —Ali Winston, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

The lawsuit has been dubbed a first-of-its-kind case about content similarities between influencers, both of whom are fighting to prove that the photos and videos uploaded to their respective accounts online are uniquely their own. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Studies on bird locomotion, for instance, have also revealed similarities with theropod dinosaurs. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin similāritāt-, similāritās, from Medieval Latin similāris similar + Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing similarity

• self-similarity
• there the similarity ends

Kids Definition

similarity

noun

sim·​i·​lar·​i·​ty ˌsim-ə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

plural similarities

1

: the quality or state of being similar : resemblance

2

: a point in which things are similar : correspondence