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dissimilar

/dɪ(s)ˈsɪmɪlər/
/dɪsˈsɪmələ/
IPA guide

Other forms: dissimilarly

If your sister has dark skin and dark hair, and you have fair skin and fair hair, people might say that your looks are dissimilar or not alike.

Inside of dissimilar you find similar which means alike. By now, you've probably figured out that dis at the beginning of a word tells you the word means the opposite of whatever comes after. That rule holds here. Dissimilar is the opposite of similar. You've probably heard that you should not use double negatives. Well with dissimilar, it's okay to say something like, "Art is not dissimilar to music in that it is a creative activity. Here, "not dissimilar" means similar.

Definitions of dissimilar
  1. adjective
    not similar
    “a group of very dissimilar people”
    “a pump not dissimilar to those once found on every farm”
    “their understanding of the world is not so dissimilar from our own”
    “took different (or dissimilar) approaches to the problem”
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    similar
    marked by correspondence or resemblance
    same
    closely similar or comparable in kind or quality or quantity or degree
    akin, kindred
    similar in quality or character
    analogous, correspondent
    similar or equivalent in some respects though otherwise dissimilar
    confusable, mistakable
    so similar as to be easily identified for another thing
    connatural
    similar in nature
    corresponding
    similar especially in position or purpose
    quasi
    having some resemblance
    sympathetic
    having similar disposition and tastes
  2. adjective
    not alike or similar
    synonyms: unalike
  3. adjective
    marked by dissimilarity
    synonyms: different, unlike
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘dissimilar'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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