mislike
Syllables: mis·like/(ˌ)mɪsˈlaɪk/US/ˌmɪsˈlaɪk/
mislike verb: to disapprove of or dislike (someone or something); to have an aversion to.
Verb
mislike (third-person singular simple present mislikes, present participle misliking, simple past and past participle 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.1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “Richarde the Firste”, in The Laste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume II, London: […] for Iohn Hunne, →OCLC, page 474, column 1
- [Prince of] Moroc[co]. Miſlike me not for my complexion, / The ſhadowed liuery of the burniſht ſunne, / To vvhom I am a neighbour, and neere bred. / Bring me the faireſt creature North-vvard borne, / VVhere Phœbus fire ſcarce thavves the yſicles, / And let vs make inciſion for your loue, / To proue...c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act...
- 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.1566, Thomas Heskyns, “Treateth of the Value of the Masse to the Quicke and the Dead”, in The Parliament of Chryste Avouching and Declaring the Enacted and Receaued Trueth of the Presence of His...
- Er Christmas be passed let horse be let blood, / for many a purpose it doth them much good. / The daie of S. Stephen old fathers did vse: / if that doe mislike thee some other daie chuse.1878, Thomas Tusser, “Decembers Husbandrie”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam]...
- To displease or offend.
- This ſentence ſerues, and that my hand out-ſtrikes, / That pleaſeth vvell, and this as much miſlikes, […]1597, Michaell [i.e., Michael] Drayton, “Matilda [Robert Fitzwalter’s daughter] to King John”, in Englands Heroicall Epistles, London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] Ling, […], →OCLC, folio 13...
- 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.c. 1513 (date written), Thomas More, “The History of King Richard the Thirde (Vnfinished) […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London...
- [U]niuſtly thou doeſt vvyte them all, / For that vvhich thou miſlikedſt in a fevv.1595, Ed. Spencer [i.e., Edmund Spenser], Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, London: […] T[homas] C[reede] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, signature D3, verso
- 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: […]1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXVII.] Of Stinking Horehound: Of Mille-graine, or Oke of Ierusalem: Of Brabyla, Bryon, Bupleuros, Catanance: Of Calla, Circæa, and...
- [I]t vvas obſerued likevviſe, that a little before the death of every one the tree by him planted, did miſlike and die. In the laſt yeere therefore of Nero, not onely the vvhole grove of bay trees vvithered to the very roote, but all the hens there died euery one.1606, Caius [i.e., Gaius] Suetonius Tranquillus, “The Historie of Servius Sulpitius Galba”, in Philêmon Holland, transl., The Historie of Twelve Cæsars Emperours of Rome. […], London: […] [Humphrey...
Noun
mislike (countable and uncountable, plural mislikes)
- Aversion or distaste for something; dislike; (countable, archaic) an instance of this.
- O let not my ſecure ſimplicity, breed your miſlike, […]1605, Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], The Dutch Courtezan. […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for Iohn Hodgets, […], →OCLC, Act II, scene i
- Hovvbeit upon a miſlike that they took to him alſo, at foure moneths end, they deprive him of his Empire, take avvay his life, and made over the Soveraignty of State to one Conſtantine, a ſouldier of the meaneſt place, only becauſe his name imported, as they thought, the offe^([sic – meaning...1610, William Camden, “Romans in Britaine”, in Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […]...
- 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.1583, “A Breife Opinion of the State, Faction, Religion, and Power of the Severall Noble Menn in Scotlande, as They Dwell, Not Placinge Them Accordinge to Their Greatnes, Degree, or Antiquitie, vnder...
- 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, […]1613, G[ervase] M[arkham], “Of the Setting or Planting of the Cyons or Branches of Most Sorts of Fruit-trees”, in The English Husbandman. The First Part: […], London: […] T[homas] S[nodham] for Iohn...
- Discontent, unrest; (countable) an instance of this.
- [T]he mislike growne among thẽselves did wel allay the heat against her […]c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New...
- Synonyms:
- disaffection, dissension
Adjective
mislike (comparative more mislike, superlative most mislike)
Examples of mislike in a sentence
- VVhat he liketh or miſliketh, it maketh not much Matter.1709, John Strype, “The Bishop of Worcester’s Vindication of Himself against Sir John Bourne, before the Privy Council. Bourne’s...
- VVell; he is a very handſome, vvell-accompliſh'd, vvell-bred Gentleman; ſhe cannot miſlike him; he is a moſt agreeable young Gentleman I aſſure you.1722, [Daniel Defoe], “Part I. Dialogue I.”, in Religious Courtship: Being Historical Discourses on the Necessity of Marrying Religious...
- What is there, then, ye will say to me, in this third ordinance which thou so mislikest?1840, Thomas Arnold, “The Licinian Laws.—378–384.”, in History of Rome, volume II (From the Gaulish Invasion to the End of the First Punic...
- And she found she didn't mislike him any longer, she felt queer and strange to him, not feared, but as though he was to say something in a moment that she knew she couldn't answer.1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon [pseudonym; James Leslie Mitchell], “Seed-time”, in Sunset Song, New York, N.Y.: Schocken Books, published 1981...
Synonyms of mislike
Forms of mislike
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | mislikes |
| present participle | misliking |
| past participle | misliked |
| past | misliked |
| Noun | |
| plural | mislikes |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more mislike |
| superlative | most mislike |
Origin of mislike
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)
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).
From mis- (prefix meaning ‘bad; badly; wrong; wrongly’) + like (“similar”, adjective).
Words formed from mislike
Words that rhyme with mislike
Questions about mislike
- What does mislike mean?
- Mislike means to disapprove of or dislike (someone or something); to have an aversion to.
- How do you use mislike in a sentence?
- VVhat he liketh or miſliketh, it maketh not much Matter.
- What part of speech is mislike?
- Mislike can be a verb, a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce mislike?
- Mislike is pronounced /(ˌ)mɪsˈlaɪk/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of mislike?
- The past tense of mislike is misliked.
Words near mislike in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: mislike (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “mislike.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mislike. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.