Unlike Meaning
/ʌnˈlaɪk/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot like; dissimilar (to); having no resemblance; unalike.
adjUnequal.
Sentence Examples
Unlike her, you are diligent.
Unlike Great Britain, the Upper House in the United States is an elected body.
Music is quite unlike any other art form.
CEFR Practice Quiz
____ her outgoing brother, Sarah is very shy in social situations.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ his brother, who is very outgoing, he is a bit shy and prefers to spend his time reading books today.
Word Origin & History
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).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It may be conjectured with some confidence that it is very unlike what is called the Wild and sometimes the Woolly West, which I did not see."
— 1927, G. K. Chesterton, What I saw in America, page 45:
"The earth is unlike the wire in size, resistance, and carrying capacity. Hence, telephone service calk for two wires of equal size, resistance, and carrying capacity."
— 1906, Railway master mechanic, volume 30, page 111:
"Commodities utterly unlike each other in all apparent physical properties, such as color, weight, size, shape, substance,"
— 1909, John Spargo, Socialism: a summary and interpretation of socialist principles, page 241:
"Reduction in time makes possible more frequent steamship services, more rapid delivery and lower operating costs. The actual economy effected is different for vessels of unlike speed and types."
— 1928, Emory Richard Johnson with Grover Gerhardt Huebner and George Lloyd Wilson, Principles of transportation:
"At the Bank of Zurich, Savoy deposited the fifteen million francs into two separate accounts in unlike amounts — so that authorities wouldn't see the same amount coming out of Bank Suisse and being deposited minutes later at the Bank of Zurich."
— 2005, Stephen Frey, The Insider:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
____ her outgoing brother, Sarah is very shy in social situations.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ his brother, who is very outgoing, he is a bit shy and prefers to spend his time reading books today.