Unlike is not a verb
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: fac, facebook, grammar schmammar, the like feature on facebook, the oed, word usage
Dear Joe,
Facebook’s use of “unlike” as a verb has been bothering me as well. Good work
[...] oh no! Not to the grammar police! One fellow — a Yalie, I’d like to note — [...]
[...] oh no! Not to the grammar police! One fellow — a Yalie, I’d like to note — [...]
u wrote my mind mate..good on ya
Andy likes this
i have also realized this. it bothers me. i hope they will replace their use of that word with “do not like”
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