Semblables

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Characterizing species or entities that share similarities or likeness to one another
2. defining individuals that exhibit comparable traits or characteristics in a specific context
3. relating to items or concepts that are analogous in nature or function to each other

Etymology: "Semblables" is simply the plural of "semblable," an adjective-turned-noun meaning someone or something of the same kind, or like another. The word came into Middle English from Middle French, where it was built from the Old French verb "sembler," meaning "to be like" or "to seem," and the suffix "-able," which marks something capable of being a certain way. Put together, the sense is something that can be made to resemble, or simply resembles, another thing. The verb "sembler" is the same root that gives English "resemble" and "semblance," so "semblable" sits in a family of words all built around the idea of likeness. Its noun use, meaning a fellow or peer, grew naturally from that adjective sense: a person who is "like" you is, in a sense, your equal. The plural "semblables" carries this same sense across many items at once.

Synonyms: similar, like, alike, resembling, analogous

Antonyms: different, dissimilar, unlike, opposite, divergent