ähnelt

ähnelt is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb ähneln, which means to resemble or to be similar to. The verb describes a likeness between the subject and another person or thing, and it is typically used with a dative object to indicate the person or thing being imitated or mirrored. For example: Der Junge ähnelt seinem Vater. Der Stil des Autors ähnelt dem Stil des Romans.

Grammatically, ähneln is a intransitive verb that governs a dative object. This means you usually say jemandem ähnelt etwas or etwas ähnelt jemandem, depending on which element serves as the subject. Common constructions include Der Mann ähnelt seinem Vater or Der Stil ähnelt dem des Autors. Ähnlich and the related adjective ähnlich share the same semantic field, but verwendet werden ähnlich to describe general similarity, while ähneln specifically marks resemblance.

Usage notes and alternatives: ähneln can also express resemblance between things or characters, as in Die Reaktion Ähnelt der früheren Reaktion. In some contexts, gleichen is a close synonym, but gleiches often carries the sense of being equal or alike in value rather than merely resembling. Einander ähneln is used to indicate mutual resemblance between two or more subjects.

Etymology: ähneln derives from the adjective ähnlich, with the verbal suffix -eln forming a verb. The sense is closely tied to the notion of likeness and similarity found in related Germanic roots.

See also: ähnlich, gleichen, sich ähneln.