different as chalk and cheese
Utterly without similarity
Different as chalk and cheese describes two things that appear similar but are fundamentally unlike.
Chalk and cheese can look alike—both pale, both in blocks—yet one isiteite and the other edible.
The phrase emphasizes essential incompatibility beneath surface resemblance: The twins look identical but they're as different as chalk and cheese.
More common in British than American English.
Reverse or contrary thing
- polarOf extreme latitudes
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
- juxtapositionAdjacent contrasting placement
disparity · clash · conflict · irreconcilable · contradictory · antipodal · discrepant · incompatible
Not similar to
- distinctClearly distinguishable, separate
- disparateEssentially different in kind
- unrelatedHaving no link
- incongruentNot in harmony
mismatched · unconnected · heterogeneous · divergent · unalike · dissonant · inharmonious · apples and oranges
opposite
Reverse or contrary thing
- polarOf extreme latitudes
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- dichotomyDivision into contrasting parts
juxtaposition · disparity · clash · conflict · irreconcilable · contradictory · antipodal · discrepant · incompatible · night and day
unlike
Not similar to
- distinctClearly distinguishable, separate
- disparateEssentially different in kind
- unrelatedHaving no link
incongruent · mismatched · unconnected · heterogeneous · divergent · unalike · dissonant · inharmonious · apples and oranges · oil and water
smooth
Without roughness or difficulty
creamy · brittle · porous · dense · grainy · powdery · spreadable · firm · tactile · mouthfeel
different as chalk and cheeseidentical
Exactly the same
the same · like two peas in a pod · indistinguishable · peas in a pod · two peas in a pod
different, differ, difference, differences, differently, differentiate, differentiation, differentiated, differentiating