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simile

[ sim-uh-lee ]
/ ˈsɪm ə li /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR simile ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”Compare metaphor.
an instance of such a figure of speech or a use of words exemplifying it.

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Simile vs. metaphor ... it’s the age-old question that none of us can keep straight. So, let’s try looking at it a different way ...

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Origin of simile

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin: image, likeness, comparison, noun use of neuter of similissimilar

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simile

metaphor, simile

Words nearby simile

simian virus 40, Simic, similar, similarity, similarity transformation, simile, similia similibus curantur, similitude, Simionato, simious, simitar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Content related to simile

This Or That: Simile vs. MetaphorSimile vs. metaphor ... it’s the age-old question that none of us can keep straight. So, let’s try looking at it a different way ...
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13 Essential Literary TermsAristotle wrote that mastery over the art of metaphor is a sign of genius. It also lifts our storytelling to new heights, as do all of these literary devices.
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Words related to simile

similitude, metaphor, analogy

Example sentences from the Web for simile

British Dictionary definitions for simile

simile
/ (ˈsɪmɪlɪ) /

noun

a figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another of a different category, usually introduced by as or likeCompare metaphor

Word Origin for simile

C14: from Latin simile something similar, from similis like
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for simile

simile
[ (sim-uh-lee) ]

A common figure of speech that explicitly compares two things usually considered different. Most similes are introduced by like or as: “The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.” (Compare metaphor.)

notes for simile

Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.