What does misliking mean?
Misliking names the feeling of disliking or disapproving of someone or something. It is more explicitly negative and somewhat more formal than the everyday noun 'dislike', suggesting a settled attitude of aversion rather than a momentary dissatisfaction. The word can describe personal dislike, as in a person's misliking of a colleague, or broader opposition, as when a community expresses its misliking of a proposal. Although modern speakers usually prefer 'dislike', 'disapproval', or 'aversion', misliking can add a formal, literary tone to writing. It is also related to the now less common verb 'mislike', meaning to regard with dislike or disapproval. As a noun, it can be counted in expressions such as 'a general misliking' and 'a deepening misliking', although uncounted use is also common when referring to an attitude or feeling.
A feeling of dislike, aversion, or disapproval toward someone or something.
"There was an obvious misliking between the two brothers."
Relatively uncommon and somewhat formal or literary; less usual than 'dislike'.
The present participle of 'mislike', meaning to dislike or disapprove of someone or something.
"She was misliking the idea from the beginning."
This grammatical use is chiefly formal, literary, or archaic; modern usage normally prefers 'disliking'.
The plural is possible when referring to separate feelings of dislike, but singular or uncounted use is more common.
"The policy generated mislikings among several groups."
Misliking preserves an older, formal sound for the everyday idea of simply not liking something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does misliking come from?
The word is formed from the prefix 'mis-' and the Germanic root represented by 'like'. In this use, 'mis-' indicates doing something wrongly or unfavourably, as in 'mislike', rather than necessarily indicating accidental error. The noun 'misliking' is a derivative of that verb and follows the older English pattern in which '-ing' forms a gerund-like noun naming an action or feeling. Related words such as 'like', 'likable', 'likeness', and 'likely' share the same Germanic root, although their later meanings and grammatical forms developed independently.
Related word forms
How misliking is actually used
As a noun, 'misliking' is relatively uncommon and sounds somewhat formal or literary. It can also be the present participle of 'mislike', a verb now chiefly encountered in formal or archaic contexts.