extended metaphor

American  

[ik-sten-did met-uh-fawr] / ɪkˈstɛn dɪd ˈmɛt əˌfɔr /

noun

1. a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work, especially a poem.

   Robert Frost uses two roads as an extended metaphor in “The Road Not Taken.”

2. a literary work that contains an extended metaphor.

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Usage

What does extended metaphor mean? An extended metaphor is a metaphor in a literary work, such as a novel or poem, that isn’t just used in one line but is extended over multiple lines or throughout the work. A metaphor is the applying of a word or phrase to something that’s not literally related in order to suggest a resemblance, as in She’s a walking dictionary (she’s not literally a dictionary, but her vocabulary resembles one). Extended metaphors use this kind of comparison, but in a drawn-out and often complex way. When an author uses an extended metaphor, they will keep adding to it, developing it, or making reference to it. This can occur over more than one line, over multiple paragraphs, or even over the course of the entire work. Extended metaphors are especially found in poetry and novels, but they can also be used in song lyrics, movies, speeches, and even nonfiction—anywhere metaphors are used.

Etymology

Origin of extended metaphor

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

“I brought a cupcake — vegan vanilla. Bet it tastes pretty rancid,” Lanier said during closings, brandishing the baked good during an extended metaphor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

In a speech to aspiring diplomats on Thursday, Josep Borrell Fontelles, a septuagenarian Spanish Socialist who is the bloc’s most senior diplomat, used an extended metaphor premised on this very idea.

From New York Times • Oct. 17, 2022

The offensive remark came about 42 minutes into his comments, during an extended metaphor that compared responding to the coronavirus pandemic to dealing with both a tornado and a hurricane.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2022

At best, then, in this extended metaphor he was an odd star, a white dwarf or a neutron.

From Salon • May 22, 2021

The first variety is essentially the same as a rhetorical example; it is an extended metaphor used as an argument to enforce a point and thus persuade an audience.

From Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism by Clark, Donald Lemen