starlike

[ stahr-lahyk ]

adjective

1. of the shape of or like a star.
2. shining like a star.
3. Also Mathematics. (of a set with respect to a point) having the property that the line segment connecting a given point and any other point in a region lies completely within the region.

Word History and Origins

Origin of starlike¹

First recorded in 1585–95; star + -like

Example Sentences

“What you will see, if it all works out, is a starlike head to a comet with a long, wispy glowing tail, arcing up into the sky,” Goss said.

From Seattle Times

In addition to glossy, sometimes multicolored leaves, hoyas produce waxy starlike blooms.

From Seattle Times

The study begins to probe a bigger evolutionary question: How did the sea star and its equally-strange echinoderm siblings develop their unique starlike symmetry?

From Scientific American

Hence the name “quasar,” an abbreviation that recognized their starlike properties, and stands for quasi-stellar radio source.

From Washington Post

The placement of starlike patterns embedded in the arched ceilings, for example, required countless complicated calculations — by human brains, not machines.

From New York Times