similarity
B1Neutral to formal; common in academic, scientific, and everyday discourse.
Definition
Meaning
The state or fact of being alike or resembling something else.
A point, feature, or characteristic that two or more things have in common, often used in comparison.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Focuses on shared characteristics rather than identicalness. Often implies a degree of likeness rather than exact duplication. Can refer to superficial or profound resemblances.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Both varieties use the word identically.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties; no particular regional connotations.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in academic writing in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
similarity between X and Ysimilarity in (terms of) Xsimilarity of X to Ysimilarity with XVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run in the family (for familial similarity)”
- “cut from the same cloth”
- “like two peas in a pod”
- “birds of a feather”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to compare market trends, business models, or consumer behaviour patterns.
Academic
Central in comparative studies, linguistics, biology (homology), and pattern recognition.
Everyday
Describing resemblances between people, places, objects, or experiences.
Technical
Key in data science (similarity metrics), genetics (sequence similarity), and image processing.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The similarity between the two cases was striking.
- There's a clear family similarity in their profiles.
- We noted a similarity in their approaches to the problem.
- The report highlights the similarity of the outcomes.
American English
- The similarity between the two proposals is uncanny.
- There's a strong similarity in their voting records.
- Researchers found a key similarity in the data sets.
- The similarity of their backgrounds is remarkable.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I see a similarity between these two pictures.
- There is a similarity in their hair colour.
- The two houses have a similarity.
- Can you find any similarities between these two stories?
- There is a strong similarity in the way they speak.
- The similarity between the twins is amazing.
- Despite superficial similarities, the two political systems are fundamentally different.
- The study revealed a surprising similarity in the cognitive processes of humans and some primates.
- He pointed out the structural similarity between the two languages.
- The analogy is flawed because it overstates the similarity between the two historical periods.
- Algorithmic detection of semantic similarity is a core task in natural language processing.
- The phylogenetic tree was constructed based on genetic sequence similarity.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'SIMILARity' – it's about how things are SIMILAR.'
Conceptual Metaphor
SIMILARITY IS PROXIMITY / CLOSENESS (e.g., 'close similarity', 'distant resemblance').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'similarity' for 'simplicity' (простота).
- Do not confuse with 'simile' (a figure of speech).
- In Russian, 'сходство' is the direct equivalent; beware of false friends like 'симметрия' (symmetry).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'similarity' as a countable noun incorrectly (e.g., 'There is a similarity' is correct).
- Confusing 'similarity to' vs. 'similarity with' (both are acceptable, but 'between' is often clearest).
- Misspelling as 'similiarity'.
- Using it to mean 'exact same' rather than 'alike in some aspects'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST synonym for 'similarity' in the context of scientific comparison?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is usually countable (e.g., 'there are several similarities', 'a striking similarity'). It can be used uncountably in more abstract senses (e.g., 'a degree of similarity').
'Similarity' is a general term for likeness. 'Analogy' is a more specific comparison, often explaining something unfamiliar by its similarity to something familiar, highlighting relational correspondences.
The most common are 'similarity between', 'similarity to', and 'similarity in'. 'Between' is used for two or more items ('similarity between A and B'). 'To' and 'in' are used for the aspect of resemblance ('similarity in structure', 'similarity to a pattern').
Typically neutral, but can be negative if the resemblance is to something undesirable (e.g., 'the disturbing similarity to a past failure') or if it implies unoriginality ('the painting's similarity to the original is suspect').