alike

alike — adjective

1. if two or more people or things are alike, they look like each other or share ma

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

if two or more people or things are alike, they look like each other or share many of the same qualities, though they are not exactly the same.

Example

The twin sisters look so alike that even their teacher cannot tell them apart.

predicative use after 'look': subject (plural) + look + alike

Theo's new puppy and her old dog are alike in colour but very different in size.

be + alike + in + [aspect] for naming the shared quality

Common collocations
  • look alike
  • sound alike
  • be alike in [colour/size/character]
  • exactly alike
  • no two ... are alike
Synonyms
  • similar

    more flexible — can sit before a noun, while 'alike' cannot

  • comparable

    more formal; suggests fit for comparison rather than visual likeness

  • identical

    stronger — means exactly the same, while 'alike' allows small differences

Antonyms
  • different

    everyday opposite, also predicative or attributive

  • unlike

    more formal; often used in writing

Grammar Patterns

look/be/seem alike

subject (plural) + linking verb + alike

Usage Note

Predicative only: appears after a linking verb (be, look, seem, sound, feel, taste). Never used before a noun, so 'an alike pair' is wrong; say 'a pair that looks alike' or use 'similar' for attributive position.

Common Mistakes

They are an alike couple.
They are a similar couple.' or 'The couple look alike.
'alike' cannot stand before a noun; switch to 'similar' or move 'alike' after a linking verb.
My sister and I are the same.
My sister and I are alike.
'the same' suggests identical; 'alike' means closely resembling but not identical.
He looks alike his brother.
He looks like his brother.' or 'He and his brother look alike.
'alike' takes a plural subject and no object; 'like' takes a single object.

alike — adverb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe things that resemble each other, but they differ in strength and grammar. 'Alike' is predicative-only — it sits after a linking verb (the twins look alike) and never before a noun. 'Similar' is the most flexible: it can sit before a noun ('a similar shirt') or after a linking verb, and often pairs with 'to' ('similar to mine'). 'Identical' is the strongest — it claims no difference at all, so it overstates the case if any small variation exists; 'alike' and 'similar' both leave room for differences. 'Comparable' is more formal and suggests two things are close enough to be measured against each other rather than visually matching. Quick test: 'My phone is similar to yours' (yes), 'My phone is alike yours' (no — 'alike' takes no object), 'My phone and yours are alike' (yes).

alike ↗similar ↗identical ↗comparable ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • exactly alike
  • very alike
  • remarkably alike
  • strikingly alike
  • almost alike

Phrases

  • look alike
  • sound alike
  • think alike
  • dress alike
  • act alike
  • young and old alike
  • rich and poor alike
  • men and women alike
  • no two ... are alike

Prepositions

  • alike in [colour/size/character/manner]

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The modern word grew out of two older forms that fell together in Middle English. Old English had 'gelic' (alike, similar — the 'ge-' prefix marked togetherness) and the adverb 'onlice' (in a like manner). Both shrank and blended over the centuries, with the 'a-' prefix carrying a sense of 'in the state of'. By the 1300s the spelling settled close to today's 'alike', covering both adjective and adverb uses. The root 'lic' (form, body, likeness) is the same one that gives us 'like' and 'likely'.