unlike

A2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /ʌnˈlaɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #3319

Meanings

1

prep
Different from someone or something.

Unlike her sister, she loves cold weather.
2

prep
Not typical of someone's usual character or behavior.

Being late is unlike him.
3

adj
Not alike; different from each other.

The brothers are quite unlike each other.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · not alike; different from... different dissimilar

Word family

Forms unlikeness

Derived forms unlike-minded

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

very unlike
Markedly different from one another or from something else.

Adverb + adjective

Etymology

From Middle English unlic, unlich, from Old English unlīċ, unġelīċ (“unlike, different, dissimilar, diverse”), from Proto-Germanic *ungalīkaz. By surface analysis, un- + like. Cognate with Dutch ongelijk, German ungleich, Old Norse úlíkr (see there for North Germanic descendants).

unlic Middle English unlīċ Old English *ungalīkaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# unlike

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** prep, adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈlaɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 3319

## Meanings
1. Different from someone or something.
2. Not typical of someone's usual character or behavior.
3. Not alike; different from each other.

## Examples
- Unlike her sister, she loves cold weather.
- Being late is unlike him.
- The brothers are quite unlike each other.

## Derived Forms
- unlike-minded

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: unlic
- Root: unlīċ
- Root: *ungalīkaz

## Etymology
From Middle English unlic, unlich, from Old English unlīċ, unġelīċ (“unlike, different, dissimilar, diverse”), from Proto-Germanic *ungalīkaz. By surface analysis, un- + like. Cognate with Dutch ongelijk, German ungleich, Old Norse úlíkr (see there for North Germanic descendants).

## AI Etymology
Unlike is from Middle English unlic, unlich, from Old English unlīċ, unġelīċ (“unlike, different, dissimilar, diverse”), from Proto-Germanic *ungalīkaz. By surface analysis, un- + like. Cognate with Dutch ongelijk, German ungleich, Old Norse úlíkr (see there for North Germanic descendants). In present-day use, it can mean different from someone or something, or not typical of someone's usual character or behavior. Derived formations include unlike-minded.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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