liken

C2+ Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /ˈlaɪkən/ UK /ˈlaɪkən/ See IPA manual

Homophones

lichen /ˈlaɪ.kən/

verb

Meanings

1

verb
to compare one thing to another as similar

Critics liken his prose to a slow-moving river.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to compare one thing to... compare equate match parallel correlate associate

Opposites

contrast differentiate distinguish

Word family

Derived forms likeninglikened

Related forms like likeness alike

Etymology

From Middle English liknen, from like ('similar') + the verb-forming suffix -en. Ultimately from Old English ġelīc ('similar') and Proto-Germanic *galīkaz.

ġelīc Old English *galīkaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Numbers & Quantity Word Formation & Derivatives

# liken

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈlaɪkən
**IPA (UK):** ˈlaɪkən

## Meanings
1. to compare one thing to another as similar

## Examples
- Critics liken his prose to a slow-moving river.

## Synonyms
- compare
- equate
- match
- parallel
- correlate
- associate

## Antonyms
- contrast
- differentiate
- distinguish

## Derived Forms
- likening
- likened

## Related Forms
- like
- likeness
- alike

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ġelīc
- Root: *galīkaz

## Etymology
From Middle English liknen, from like ('similar') + the verb-forming suffix -en. Ultimately from Old English ġelīc ('similar') and Proto-Germanic *galīkaz.

## AI Etymology
Liken comes from Middle English liknen, from like ('similar') + the verb-forming suffix -en. Ultimately from Old English ġelīc ('similar') and Proto-Germanic *galīkaz. The etymological trail includes Old English ġelīc and Proto-Germanic *galīkaz. As a verb, liken means to compare one thing to another as similar. The same family is visible in derived forms such as likening and likened and related forms such as like, likeness, and alike. Morphologically, the word is built from the elements named in its history, so the modern form preserves a visible compound, prefix, or suffix structure.

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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