Home » The Bullblog

Unlike is not a verb

By 16 September 2009 6 Comments

I never use the “like” feature on facebook. It’s a little too earnest, it’s usually obvious when I would like something (“LeAnn just released a new album!”—duh I like that, I don’t need to say it explicitly), and facebook added it too late after I joined for me to have made it a habit. But I was just scrolling through my sister’s facebook page, and I accidentally pressed like on a completely random news item (friend request confirmation). At first, I thought to write on her wall and explain my clumsiness, not my enthusiasm, led me to “like” this online confirmation of friendship. But then, I looked at the text box announcing my approval, and I saw that I could “unlike” something. Mark Zuckerberg, “unlike” is not a verb. At all. Maybe, maybe, maybe, “un-like” is a verb, but “unlike” is an adjective meaning “Not like or resembling, different from, dissimilar to (some other person or thing).” Unless clicking “unlike” on facebook makes one note how different that item is from—something—they should change the word.

Tags: , , , , ,
Bookmark and Share

Leave a Comment

6 Comments

  • Dear Joe,

    Facebook’s use of “unlike” as a verb has been bothering me as well. Good work

    Nikki at 10:53 pm on September 28th 2009

  • [...] oh no! Not to the grammar police! One fellow — a Yalie, I’d like to note — [...]

    Facebook grammar: “unlike” is valid « Motivated Grammar at 4:36 pm on November 18th 2010

  • [...] oh no! Not to the grammar police! One fellow — a Yalie, I’d like to note — [...]

    Facebook grammar: “unlike” is valid | marketing internetowy i inne at 9:05 pm on November 20th 2010

  • u wrote my mind mate..good on ya

    suraj dhungana at 4:51 pm on January 7th 2011

  • Andy likes this

    Andy at 1:09 am on November 26th 2011

  • i have also realized this. it bothers me. i hope they will replace their use of that word with “do not like”

    scilla at 9:14 am on February 17th 2012