Starlike

Starlike is an adjective describing something that resembles or is characteristic of a star. The term is formed from star plus the suffix like and can apply to shape, arrangement, or appearance in various contexts. In everyday language it is used for objects with radiating points or a pointed outline, or more broadly to convey brightness or brilliance.

In astronomy, starlike typically refers to a source whose image in a telescope is consistent with a point source, meaning it is unresolved by the instrument. Such sources are described as stellar or starlike; they appear as a single bright point whose light distribution matches the telescope’s point spread function. Starlike objects include stars and quasi-stellar objects (quasars) seen at sufficient distance. Extended sources such as galaxies show resolved structure, so classifying an object as starlike helps distinguish stars from galaxies in surveys and catalogs.

In biology and medicine, starlike can describe cells or structures with radiating processes from a central body. The term is common in histology for certain glial or neuronal morphologies and in plant biology for star-shaped leaves or flowers, though stellate is often preferred in technical writing for similar meanings.

In design and art, starlike shapes refer to forms with multiple radiating points or a star-like silhouette. While the term is widely understood, stellate or star-shaped are frequent alternatives depending on context.