dissimilar

adjective

dis·​sim·​i·​lar (ˌ)di(s)-ˈsi-mə-lər 

-ˈsim-lər

: not the same or similar : different or unalike

people with dissimilar backgrounds

dissimilar materials

The responsibilities of the resident were not dissimilar to those of the intern …

—James D. Hardy

dissimilarly

(ˈ)di(s)-ˈsi-mə-lər-lē 

-ˈsim-lər-

adverb

Synonyms

• different
• disparate
• distant
• distinct
• distinctive
• distinguishable
• diverse
• nonidentical
• other
• unalike
• unlike

Examples of dissimilar in a Sentence

The two movies are very dissimilar.

The writers have dissimilar backgrounds.

The question is not dissimilar to one asked earlier.

Recent Examples on the Web

With SpaceX having launched 13 successful crewed missions since 2020—nine for NASA and four for private customers—the space agency may well decide that dissimilar redundancy is just not achievable, at least not with Starliner as one of the two ships. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 9 Sep. 2024

With his direct play and maturity, Wanner is, in fact, not too dissimilar to Wirtz. —Manuel Veth, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Its future may not be too dissimilar from the Honda Fit. —James Raia, The Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2024

Gaming is not that dissimilar to society, and all industries, really. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin dissimilāris, from Latin dis- dis- + Medieval Latin similāris similar

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dissimilar

• not dissimilar

Kids Definition

dissimilar

adjective

dis·​sim·​i·​lar (ˈ)dis-ˈ(s)im-ə-lər 

: different sense 1, unlike

dissimilarity

(ˌ)dis-ˌ(s)im-ə-ˈlar-ət-ē 

noun

dissimilarly

(ˈ)dis-ˈ(s)im-ə-lər-lē 

adverb