definitions of like | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally

An alternate title for this post could have been “Random Thoughts on Like.” I like the title I chose better.

“Like” describes a feeling or emotion AND it means, like, so much more.

When I Googled “like,” one definition came up first. Would you like to guess which one it was?

I know some people like quick responses, so here’s the definition Google presented first:

like¹

līk/

preposition

preposition: like

having the same characteristics or qualities as; similar to.

“there were other suits like mine in the shop”

synonyms: similar to, the same as, identical to More

in the manner of; in the same way or to the same degree as.

“he was screaming like a banshee”

synonyms: in the same way as, in the same manner as, in the manner of, in a similar way to More

in a way appropriate to.

“students were angry at being treated like children”

such as one might expect from; characteristic of.

“just like you to put a damper on people’s enjoyment”

synonyms: characteristic of, typical of, in character with More

used in questions to ask about the characteristics or nature of someone or something.

“What is it like to be a tuna fisherman?”

used to draw attention to the nature of an action or event.

“I apologize for coming over unannounced like this”

such as; for example.

“the cautionary vision of works like Animal Farm and 1984“

synonyms: such as, for example, for instance; More

conjunction

informal

conjunction: like

in the same way that; as.

“people who change countries like they change clothes”

as though; as if.

“I felt like I’d been kicked by a camel”

noun

noun: like; plural noun: like

used with reference to a person or thing of the same kind as another.

“the quotations could be arranged to put like with like“

a thing or things of the same kind (often used to express surprise or for emphasis).

noun: the like

“did you ever hear the like?”

synonyms: equal, match, equivalent, counterpart, twin, parallel; More

adjective

adjective: like(of a person or thing) having similar qualities or characteristics to another person or thing.

“I responded in like manner”

synonyms: similar, much the same, comparable, corresponding, resembling, alike,analogous, parallel, equivalent, cognate, related, kindred; More

antonyms: dissimilar

BRITISH

(of a portrait or other image) having a faithful resemblance to the original.

““Who painted the dog’s picture? It’s very like.””

adverb

adverb: like informal

used in speech as a meaningless filler or to signify the speaker’s uncertainty about an expression just used.

“there was this funny smell—sort of dusty like”

informal

used to convey a person’s reported attitude or feelings in the form of direct speech (whether or not representing an actual quotation).

“so she comes into the room and she’s like “Where is everybody?””

archaic

in the manner of.

“like as a ship with dreadful storm long tossed”

Origin

Middle English: from Old Norse líkr ; related to alike.

I don’t know whether you liked reading that whole, long definition, but I like so many things about it, especially the wide range of humanity shown in the examples. There are people, there, who

own several suits,
scream really loudly,
demand respect from others no matter what their age,
use You-Statements¹(“just like you to …”),
are curious and inquisitive about others’ professions,
apologize for their actions,
act spontaneously,
live in many different countries,
have strong emotional reactions,
are artists,
are sensitive to smells,
express themselves very informally without any apparent self-consciousness, and
fish for tuna.

While I have varied reactions to all those people, I also liked, in the definition:

the appearance of the camel
and the dog.

Would anybody like to see what Google has for the second definition of the word “like”?

like²

verb

verb: like; 3rd person present: likes; past tense: liked; past participle: liked; gerund or present participle: liking

find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory.

“I like all Angela Carter’s stories”

synonyms: be fond of, be attached to, have a soft spot for, have a liking for, have regard for, think well of, admire, respect, esteem; More

antonyms: hate

indicate one’s liking or approval of (a web page or posting on a social media website) by activating a particular icon or link.

“more than 15,000 Facebook users had liked his page by Monday morning”

wish for; want.

“would you like a cup of coffee?”

synonyms: choose, please, wish, want, see fit, think fit, care to, will More

used as a polite formula.

“we would like to apologize for the late running of this service”

feel reluctant to do something.

“I don’t like leaving her on her own too long”

choose to have (something); prefer.

“how do you like your coffee?”

synonyms: choose, please, wish, want, see fit, think fit, care to, will More

feel about or regard (something).

“how would you like it if it happened to you?”

synonyms: feel about, regard, think about, consider More

noun

noun: like; plural noun: likes

the things one likes or prefers.

“a wide variety of likes, dislikes, tastes, and income levels”

an instance of indicating one’s liking or approval of a web page or posting on a social media website.

“pages that rank well are likely to receive high numbers of likes because they are highly visible in the search engines”

Origin

Old English līcian ‘be pleasing,’ of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijken .

Now I’m thinking this: I really haven’t liked previous formatting surprises in my posts, when I’ve included large blocks of quotes, like I have here. I hope inserting these definitions of “like” hasn’t made extra busy-work for me, which I don’t like, either.

I like lists, so here’s a couple I hope you like.

#1: Things I don’t like:

Busy work which seems unnecessary and illogical to me.
Unexpected formatting (and other) changes to things I’ve written.
Lack of respect or consideration for somebody else’s feelings.
Credit not being given, where it is due.
The way hunger interferes with my thinking process, especially when I’m trying to write.

Like, I’d like a breakfast break, now.

#2: Things I like:

Raindrops on roses
Whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles
Warm woolen mittens
Bright paper packages tied up with string

Wait! That’s somebody else’s list. I don’t like using other people’s ideas like that, so let’s start again. I like:

Flowers of all types, in any weather.

Cats, no matter what age.

Tea kettles, no matter what their luster or material.

Mittens and gloves, to keep me warm when it’s cold.

Gifts, wrapped AND opened.

That last photo shows a gift I received last week from my intern at work, Laura, who recently graduated. Laura wrote, in her card:

Which reminds me of these things I like, very much:

People who are funny.
People who are kind.

Speaking of people who are funny, I would like to mention, at this point, a comedian² who told a joke I liked, many years ago:

Have you noticed how some people use the word “like” all the time, as a kind of verbal space filler? I really don’t want to see any doctor who’s going to say to me, “You have, like, cancer.”

Speaking of people who are funny and kind (like my intern), here’s somebody I met again, yesterday:

That’s Yvette (also known as Eva), who has appeared previously (without a picture) in this blog, when I was hospitalized last October. For details about how incredibly kind, helpful, and supportive she was — when she did my echocardiogram then — see this post (which includes a comment from her).

Yesterday, she was even more kind, helpful, and supportive, which I liked, very much. At the end of my cardiac stress test, we told each other, when we said “goodbye,” how much we liked each other.

After the stress test, I got the results of my sleep study from last March. The doctor told me I have mild sleep apnea, and we decided I should return for another over-night stay, to see if and how a CPAP machine might be helpful. When we were scheduling the test, yesterday, I asked, “Who’s on that night?”

They told me that Lori …

… who worked with me then, was one of three people who’d be there. I said, “I love Lori!”

So, I’ll be seeing here again, like, soon.

Thanks to Julie Andrews, Laura, the comedian who told the “like” joke,² Yvette, Lori, people everywhere who are funny and/or kind, anybody with likes and/or dislikes, and thanks to you — of course! — for reading today.

1 I-Statements have been shown to be more effectively, interpersonally, than You-Statements. Personally, I like being effective.

2 I do like giving (and receiving) credit, but I don’t remember the name or anything else about this comedian. If anybody recognizes who this is, like, let me know.