# Is the phrase "not unlike" stylistically acceptable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2001, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709 "2001-08-17T11:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/22 "2023-09-23T20:01:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Not unlike’ doesn’t mean ‘like’ - it means ‘different, but i would like to draw your specific attention to certain abstract or perhaps obscure similarities’ Your example certainly shows that it _can_ be used that way, but it does not prove that it is _only_ to be used in that way. In any case, I prefer the word “similar;” it is less definite than “like” and may be used in the sense of “similar in one or more ways” as you have used “not unlike.” It is also not a double negative, and so is less controversial. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/23 "2023-09-24T09:35:53Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Your example certainly shows that it _can_ be used that way, but it does not prove that it is _only_ to be used in that way. I didn’t set out to prove anything, so that’s OK. The double negative is not accidental or erroneous; it’s completely deliberate and there specifically to emphasise the nature of the comparison being made. As identified upthread, this is a litotic phrase - it uses understatement for effect. Similar and related: Describing something as ‘not terrible’ or ‘I don’t _hate_ it’, or ‘I wouldn’t be _angry_ if that happened’ ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/24 "2023-09-24T13:34:21Z")
To me there is a difference in degree. It’s like saying “they are not entirely dissimilar”…I’m stating that there is some similarity in some senses, but that saying that they are alike would be going too far. I mean, I really don’t think that _too much nuance_ is really the problem with people’s use of language today. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/25 "2023-09-24T15:30:42Z")
Well, let’s think logically. There is the Law of the Excluded Middle which says that, for every proposition _p_, either _p_ is true or “not _p_” is true. However, this may be too strong a principle sometimes. Nevertheless, it is still tautological that it is not not true that either _p_ or not _p_. Perhaps it is a bit much to assert that I want ice cream, but I do not not want ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/26 "2023-09-24T16:27:41Z")
It reminds me a bit of this: Person A: Do you like my room mate? Person B: Yes Person A: Great! She likes you too, so the movie tomorrow will basically be a double date. Person A: Do you like my room mate? Person B: No Person A: Sheesh, what did she do to annoy you? Person A: Do you like my room mate? Person B: I don’t _dislike_ her… Person A: Ah ok, she likes you, but no worries, we can all just be friends And yes I know there are other ways of expressing this, but I think most are going to be equal or more verbose than “not unlike”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/27 "2023-09-24T18:43:40Z")
Exactly. The variety of subtly different ways to express things in English is a feature, not a flaw. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/28 "2023-09-24T19:09:49Z")
This is not unlike a discussion of double negatives that’s in Pinker’s “Language Instinct” in which he crafts the following statement (which I’m paraphrasing) that is not unlike a famous Rolling Stones lyric: “As much as I shouldn’t be happy about others’ misfortunes, I can’t get NO satisfaction when (I forget the rest of it).” Litotes definitely has its place, and while it can sound pretentious, it’s because it’s a complex idea that many people might not have considered the implications of. There are times where it’s the best way to express the idea you’re going for. For the above sentence, I’m not sure “I must get SOME satisfaction” is all that different of an idea, so it’s not entirely like “not unlike” where there’s definitely a feeling that using “like” instead connotes a much stronger resemblance of the things than you’re wanting to suggest, but it’s certainly not unlike. I don’t think there’s a problem at all though with “not entirely unlike”, which makes it more clear that you don’t really want to say that things are like each other, but they do have some similarities that are worth mentioning. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/29 "2023-09-25T21:04:09Z")
Pretentious? Moi? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/30 "2023-09-25T21:42:13Z")
Not that it matters, but I was an English major in college, and I never have heard any sort of proscription against using the phrase “not unlike” nor do I even understand how it can be characterized as “pretentious.” It’s a perfectly cromulent and useful phrase and, as mentioned above, an example of _litotes_, a literary device that goes back to at least Beowulff. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/31 "2023-09-25T21:44:43Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Pretentious? Moi? Not _un_pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/32 "2023-09-25T21:48:37Z")
Ah. Peut-être. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/33 "2023-09-26T04:12:59Z")
I couldn’t fail to disagree with you less. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/34 "2023-09-26T04:15:55Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > I couldn’t fail to disagree with you less… I knew exactly what you meant, until I realized that you were being sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/35 "2023-09-26T13:29:17Z")
It also seems a bit of a trend to say, “He’s not wrong” in a situation where it might not be quite accurate to say, “He’s right.” I see this used ironically when someone says something that might be factually true but also irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/36 "2023-09-26T13:30:06Z")
> [@jcgmoi](#): > > Not a double negative but a perfectly sound figure of speech called _litotes_ (lie-tow-tees). A means of expressing an affirmative by the negation of its opposite. Level of pretentiousness determined by context. Like any formal rhetorical device, not to be overused. Kind of like sentence fragments. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/37 "2023-09-26T13:39:27Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > In any case, I prefer the word “similar;” it is less definite than “like” and may be used in the sense of “similar in one or more ways” as you have used “not unlike.” It is also not a double negative, and so is less controversial. I think the double-negativity of “not unlike” is a feature, not a bug. It’s subtly acknowledging that the similarity in question is possibly unexpected or controversial. “Not unlike” implies “I know these things wouldn’t generally be considered alike, but actually in this particular aspect…” Sort of like the French “si” for “yes”, it’s saying “You probably expected me to reject this statement but in fact I’m not.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/38 "2023-09-26T13:41:07Z")
I’d rather be not wrong than [not even wrong](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong). ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/39 "2023-09-26T13:58:45Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I’d rather be not wrong than [not even wrong](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong). Well, sure, that’s an obvious preference. But would you not also rather be _wrong_ than not _even_ wrong? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/40 "2023-09-26T14:44:30Z")
There’s a fairly new thing where people say “not not” as in: Q: Are you calling me an idiot? A: I’m not not calling you an idiot. Similar to “you’re not wrong”. Like, “answering yes to the question you asked wasn’t my main point but the answer to your question is yes.” At least that’s how I uderstand it. Ask a young person to get a better definition. I don’t dislike this construction. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709/41 "2023-09-26T15:02:08Z")
Yeah, that’s a good example of when a deliberate double negative has its own layer of impact. You could, I suppose answer Q: Are you calling me an idiot? A: If the shoe fits… But it’s not quite the same; answering “I’m not _not_ saying you’re an idiot” implies a particular blend of both scorn and disinterest. Whilst the ‘not-not’ thing is certainly trending at present, in the past people might have said “I wouldn’t _deny_ it” (which is also sort of litotically-doubly-negative) to much the same effect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-not-unlike-stylistically-acceptable/76709.md?page=3)