Likeness means similarity in appearance or character. When someone says your drawing captures the likeness of your dog, they mean it really looks like your actual pet: the floppy ears, the spotted fur, the way she tilts her head. A good portrait painter tries to capture the essential qualities that make someone recognizable, the likeness that lets you know immediately who you're looking at.

The word often appears when talking about portraits, statues, or other representations. Ancient coins bore the likeness of emperors so people throughout the empire would recognize their ruler. A sculptor creating a statue of a famous person works hard to get the likeness right, studying photographs and measurements to make sure anyone who sees it will know immediately who it represents.

You can also use likeness to describe people who resemble each other. Brothers and sisters often share a family likeness, certain features like eye color, smile, or build that mark them as related. When someone says “she's the spitting image of her grandmother,” they're describing a strong likeness between them.