unlike

The word “unlike” means different from; in contrast to. In plain terms, different from something, or (as a social-media verb) to undo a "like.".

“Unlike” is pronounced uhn-LYK (/ʌnˈlaɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “unlike” used in a sentence: “Unlike her brother, she loves spicy food.”

Depending on how it is used, “unlike” can be a preposition, an adjective and a verb.

The word “unlike” comes from Old English. From Old English unlic, "unlike, dissimilar," from "un-" + "like.".

“Unlike” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Unlike” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: different from; in contrast to.

They are unrelated despite looking similar. Unlike is a preposition meaning different from or in contrast to, as in 'unlike his brother.' Dislike is a verb or noun meaning to not like something, as in 'I dislike loud music.' Only the spelling of the first syllable connects them.

'Unlike her sister, she enjoys team sports' shows a contrast between two people. Other examples include 'This phone, unlike the old one, is waterproof' and 'It was unlike him to be late.' The word introduces a difference between one thing and another.

The opposite is like, meaning similar to or in the same way as. 'Unlike his father, he is quiet' shows difference; 'like his father, he is quiet' shows similarity. Other opposites include similar to, resembling, and comparable to, depending on the sentence.

It can be both. As a preposition it means different from, as in 'unlike the others.' As an adjective it means not alike, as in 'the two are quite unlike.' This entry covers the more common prepositional use that draws a contrast between things.