mislike
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mislike¹
- /(ˌ)mɪsˈlaɪk/ UK
- /ˌmɪsˈlaɪk/ US
Rhymes with -aɪk
Where it comes from
From Middle English misliken (“to displease, offend; to disturb mentally, peturb; to dislike, find distasteful; to be unpleasant; to be displeased, dissatisfied, or unhappy; to feel sorry for (someone’s misfortune); of fruit or a tree: to fail to flourish”) [and other forms], from Old English mislīcian (“to displease; to disquiet”), from mis- (prefix meaning ‘bad; badly; wrong; wrongly’, or indicating a failure or lack) + līcian (“to like; to appeal to, please”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“like, similar; even, level”)). The English word is analysable as mis- + like.
Cognates
* Middle Dutch mislīken
* Middle Low German mislīken
* Old High German misselīchēn (“to displease”) (Middle High German misselīchen)
* Old Norse mislíka (Icelandic mislíka (“to dislike”))
* Old Swedish mislika (modern Swedish misslika)
verb mislikes · misliking · misliked
- To disapprove of or dislike (someone or something); to have an aversion to. [T]hoſe that had forſaken hys father and taken part with him againſt his ſayde father, he ſeemed now ſo much to miſlike, that hee remoued them vtterly from his preſence, and contrariwiſe preferred ſuch as had continued faythful vnto his father in time of the troubles.
- To displease or offend (someone). But ther ys alſo interceſsion made to ſainctes, vvhich ys an other matter that miſliketh him therin, vvhich interceſsion alſo ys in the Maſſe of ſainct Iames.
- To displease or offend. This ſentence ſerues, and that my hand out-ſtrikes, / That pleaſeth vvell, and this as much miſlikes, […]
- To disapprove; also, to be displeased or unhappy. [N]eyther hys ſeruantes nor hymſelf ſuffered to gone^([sic – meaning go?]) oute, parceiuyng well ſo greate a thyng without his knowledge not begun for noughte, comparyng this maner preſẽ[n]t with this laſt nightes chere, ĩ[n] ſo few houres ſo gret a chaunge marueylouſlye miſliked.
- To become sickly or weak due to poor health; to waste away. But as vvell the one as the other applied vvith honey, doe heale old ulcers: they incarnat and fill up the hollovv concavities of fiſtulous ſores: and ſuch parts as do miſlike and vvant nouriſhment, they cauſe to gather fleſh and fill the skin againe: […]
mislike²
- /(ˌ)mɪsˈlaɪk/ UK
- /ˌmɪsˈlaɪk/ US
Rhymes with -aɪk
Where it comes from
From Middle English mislike (“displeasure; hardship; sorrow; unpleasantness”), from mis- (prefix meaning ‘bad; badly; wrong; wrongly’, etc.) + like (“pleasure, will”) (from liken (“to give pleasure to, make happy, please; to be pleasant; to suit; (reflexive) to please oneself, take delight; (reflexive) to be pleased to do (something); to like; to approve of, be in favour of; to be delighted or pleased; to choose, want, wish”), from Old English līcian (verb): see further at etymology 1).
noun mislikes
- Aversion or distaste for something; dislike; (countable, archaic) an instance of this. O let not my ſecure ſimplicity, breed your miſlike, […]
- Lack of comfort; discomfort; also, difficulty; trouble; or sadness; unhappiness. His mother is sister to Mr James Murray, and hath now maryed Mr John Graham, a seruante of therle of Argile, to the greif and mislike of her best frendes.
- The characteristic or state of incapacity, physical distress, or weakness due to poor health; sickliness; (countable) an instance of this. [If] you finde a certaine miſlike or conſumption in the plant, you ſhall immediatly vvith a ſharp knife cut the plant off ſlope-vviſe upvvard, about three fingers from the ground, and ſo let it reſt till the next ſpring, at vvhich time you ſhall behold nevv cyons iſſue from the roote, […]
-
Discontent, unrest; (countable) an instance of this.
[T]he mislike growne among thẽselves did wel allay the heat against her […]
Similar: disaffection, dissension
mislike³
- /(ˌ)mɪsˈlaɪk/ UK
- /ˌmɪsˈlaɪk/ US
Rhymes with -aɪk
Where it comes from
From mis- (prefix meaning ‘bad; badly; wrong; wrongly’) + like (“similar”, adjective).
adjective more mislike · most mislike
- Not like or similar; different, unlike.
Talk about this word "mislike." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mislike. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mislike. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mislike "mislike." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mislike.Cite this
@misc{mislike_2026,
title = {mislike},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mislike},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
