-like
Etymology
From like. Cognate with -ly. Compare also Dutch -lijk ("-ly, -like").
Full definition of -like
Suffix
- Having some of the characteristics of (used to form adjectives from nouns).childlikesnake-like
- 2012, May 20, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Marge Gets A Job†(season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992), What other television show would feature a gorgeously designed sequence where a horrifically mutated Pierre and Marie Curie, their bodies swollen to Godzilla-like proportions from prolonged exposure to the radiation that would eventually kill them, destroy an Asian city with their bare hands like vengeance-crazed monster-Gods?
Synonyms
Note: the suffixes below cannot necessarily replace "-like", but are also used to form words having the same sense as words formed using "-like".Derived terms
Usage notes
In British usage, a hyphen is almost always used, while in American usage, the suffix is sometimes joined to the noun without a hyphen.