# alike

Pronunciation: say "uh-LYK" /əˈlaɪk/

## Adjective

1. Showing resemblance or similarity; the same or nearly the same, with little or no difference.
   - Simple: Very similar to each other, or the same in almost every way.
   - _The sisters are remarkably alike in both temperament and taste._
   - _No two snowflakes are exactly alike under a microscope._

## Adverb

2. In the same manner, form, or degree; equally.
   - Simple: In the same way, or by the same amount.
   - _The committee promised to treat every applicant alike, regardless of background._
   - _Despite growing up on different continents, the brothers think alike on most questions._
3. Placed after a list of people or things to indicate that something applies equally to every one of them.
   - Simple: Used after naming two or more groups to show that something is true for all of them.
   - _The tax changes worried small businesses and large corporations alike._
   - _Critics and casual listeners alike praised the band's new album._

## Origin

"Alike" comes from a blend of several older words. The main sources are Middle English forms from Old English onlīċ/anlīċ and ġelīċ ("like, similar, equal"), reinforced by the borrowed Old Norse cognate álíkr. It goes back to Proto-Germanic *galīkaz and is cognate with German "gleich," Dutch "gelijk," and Swedish "lik." The adverb developed the same way, from Old English onlīċe, ġelīċe, and Old Norse álíka.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/alike (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).