'gangster-like' originates from English, specifically combining the noun 'gangster' and the suffix '-like', where 'gangster' derived from 'gang' + agent suffix '-ster' meaning 'person associated with a gang', and '-like' meant 'having the form or characteristics of'.

'gangster' changed from the word 'gang' (Old English 'gang' meaning 'a going, movement, or group') with the agentive suffix '-ster' to form 'gangster' in American English in the late 19th to early 20th century; combining it with the adjective-forming suffix '-like' produced the compound 'gangster-like'.

Initially, 'gangster' meant 'a member of a gang', but over time compounds such as 'gangster-like' evolved to mean 'resembling or exhibiting behavior characteristic of gangsters' (emphasizing manner or appearance rather than membership).