simile

[sim-uh-lee]

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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.

Origin of simile

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

Can be confusedmetaphor simile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for similes

similitude, metaphor, analogy

Examples from the Web for similes

Historical Examples of similes

Speaking of similes reminds us that there is one on Broadway.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 3, April 16, 1870
Various
And in the similes, what pictures from animal life and manners!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 57, No. 352, February 1845
Various
The current similes, if not absolutely counterfeit, are quite worn out.
Tancred
Benjamin Disraeli
We spoke of Homer's similes as illustrative of the Ionic feelings about war.
Short Studies on Great Subjects
James Anthony Froude
Other similes seemed to have the habit of living in discord.
The World I Live In
Helen Keller

British Dictionary definitions for similes

simile

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

Word Origin and History for similes

simile

late 14c., from Latin simile "a like thing; a comparison, likeness, parallel," neuter of similis "like" (see similar). Both things must be mentioned and the comparison directly stated. To Johnson, "A simile, to be perfect, must both illustrate and ennoble the subject."

similes in Culture

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.)

Note

Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.