Meaning

4 senses

  1. (transitive)Followed by to or (archaic) unto: to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing; to compare.

    The physics teacher likened the effect of mass on space to an indentation in a sheet of rubber.

    vergleichen

    сра́вниватьsrávnivatʹ, сравни́тьsravnítʹ, уподобля́тьupodobljátʹ

  2. (also, rare, reflexive, transitive)Chiefly followed by to: to make (oneself, someone, or something) resemble another person or thing.

  3. (rare, transitive)To represent or symbolize (something).

  4. (intransitive, obsolete)Followed by to: to be like or resemble; also, to become like.

More definitions
  • consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous

Examples

6 sentences

  1. What can it be likened to?

    ruС чем это можно сравнить?

    deWomit kann man das vergleichen?

    CC BY · Tatoeba · sundown · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. We often liken death to sleep.

    ruМы часто уподобляем смерть сну.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · AlanF_US · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. The hum of mating males has been likened to the buzz of a chain saw.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Hybrid · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Al-Ghazali likens the emotions to a kingdom's tax collectors.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · halfb1t · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. On the Web, I have met Japanese who would liken their country to cozy Guatemala. I call the phenomenon "The Guatemala Model."

    CC BY · Tatoeba · nonong · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

8 languages
Русский
By meaning 1
to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing — see also compare:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing — see also compare:

Origin

From Middle English liknen (“to be comparable; to compare (often disparagingly); to make (

From Middle English liknen (“to be comparable; to compare (often disparagingly); to make (someone) equal to another person; to regard (something) as equal to another thing; to regard (something) as likely; to resemble; to take (something) as a substitute; to apply, be adapted or suitable; to tend (to sin)”) [and other forms], from liken (“to be comparable; to compare; to be appropriate; to form”), from lik (“alike, analogous, similar; appropriate, suitable; equal; homogeneous; identical, the same; indicative; likely (to be or do something), probable; possible; simultaneous; more or most like (?)”) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs). Lik is derived from Old English ġelīċ (“like, similar”), from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar; equal”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“like, similar; even, level”). The English word is analysable as like (adjective) + -en (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to make [adjective]’).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

likens, likening, likened, likened
Base formliken · to liken
3rd person singularlikens
Present participlelikening
Past simplelikened
Past participlelikened

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyliken
he, she, itlikens

Past simpleLesson

all personslikened

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave likened
he, she, ithas likened

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill liken

Synonyms

2 synonyms
Close in meaning
  • consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous:compareequate

Antonyms

2 antonyms
contrastA2unliken

Word family

4 related words
Deriveddislikenlikenablelikeningunliken

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
likelihoodC1likelyA2likenessB1likewiseB2lilac
liken — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto