What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Unlike vs Instead - What's the difference?

unlike | instead |

As an adjective unlike

is not like; dissimilar; diverse; having no resemblance.

As a preposition unlike

is differently from; not in a like or similar manner.

As a verb unlike

is to dislike.

As an adverb instead is

in the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative.

unlike

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) unlic, unlich, from (etyl) .

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Not like; dissimilar; diverse; having no resemblance.
    • The brothers are quite unlike each other.
  • *
  • Unequal.
    • They contributed in unlike amounts.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • (archaic) Not likely; improbable; unlikely.

    • Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Differently from; not in a like or similar manner.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • In contrast with.
  • *
  • *

    • Etymology 2

    From .

    Verb

    (unlik)
  • To dislike.
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • To withdraw support for a particular thing, especially on social networking websites
    • I unliked the video link after I realized it was making fun of me.
  • * 2009 , , “ On Language: The Age of Undoing”, in The New York Times Magazine, 2009 September 20, page MM8:
    • Facebook, for instance, allows you to register approval for a posted message in a very concrete way, by clicking a thumbs-up like'' button. Toggling off the button results in ''unliking''''' your previously ''liked'' item. Note that this is different from ''disliking'' something, since '''''unliking simply returns you to a neutral state.
  • * 2010 June 25, "TheKorn" (username), " Re: Pinball: RGP and/or Facebook", in rec.games.pinball, Usenet :
    • My comment was more of a backhanded slap at Stern Pinball's Facebook "presence", specifically the garbage "cheap heat" posts. It's so inane (and now, so constant) that I wound up "unliking " stern pinball entirely.

    instead

    English

    Alternative forms

    * enstead

    Adverb

    (-)
  • In the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=5 citation , passage=‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
    • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.}}

    Synonyms

    * in lieu

    Derived terms

    * instead of

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * *