dislike
/dɪsˈlaɪk/
verb
Origin
Old English
mis- + līcian — to fail to please
Overview
Meaning Now
- To feel a lack of affection, interest, or approval towards something or someone.
- To regard as unpleasant or disagreeable.
Literal older meaning
to not be like or to not find pleasing
Language path
Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
misliken
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The word 'dislike' replaced the older Germanic construction 'mislike' during the early modern period. This reflected a broader linguistic trend in English where native Germanic prefixes were often supplanted by Latin-derived counterparts like 'dis-', 'in-', and 'de-' to express negation or reversal.
Evolution
- Old English
līcian
“to please”
The basis for 'like' in the sense of finding agreeable.
- Middle English
misliken
“to displease”
The dominant term before the adoption of the 'dis-' prefix.
- 16th century
dislike
“to feel aversion”
Replacement of 'mis-' with the Latin-derived 'dis-' prefix to signify contrary action.
Connections
Word parts
dis-
prefix
reversal or negation
like
root
to find agreeable
Related across languages
German
missfallen
to displease
Dutch
misliken
to dislike
Explore next
Related to dislike
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.