analogy

/əˈnælədʒi/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈnælədʒi/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈna-lə-jē/ (ame, mw)

analogy — noun

1. a way of describing something by pointing out how it is like another, more famil

1.名詞C1
釋義

a way of describing something by pointing out how it is like another, more familiar thing, so that listeners or readers can understand it more easily.

例句

Professor Lin drew an analogy between the human brain and a busy city to explain how thoughts travel.

draw an analogy between X and Y

The coach used a cooking analogy to show why every player matters in the team.

noun + analogy: cooking/sports/musical analogy

同義詞
  • comparison

    broader and more neutral; an analogy is a comparison made specifically to explain or argue a point

  • parallel

    highlights matching features between two situations; less focused on teaching or explaining

  • metaphor

    states one thing IS another for vivid effect; an analogy spells out the similarity step by step

  • simile

    a short 'like/as' comparison; an analogy is usually longer and reasons through the resemblance

反義詞
  • contrast

    points out differences rather than likeness

  • distinction

    marks how two things are unlike each other

文法句型

an analogy between X and Y

an analogy with X

draw/make an analogy

用法筆記

Often introduces an explanation: a speaker draws an analogy first and then unpacks the comparison. The phrase 'by analogy with' signals that the speaker is borrowing the logic of one situation to make sense of another.

常見錯誤

❌He made an analogy of a brain and a city.
✅He made an analogy between a brain and a city.
💡analogy takes 'between X and Y', not 'of X and Y'.
❌She drew the analogy with comparing apples and oranges.
✅She drew an analogy with comparing apples and oranges.
💡the indefinite article 'an' is standard when introducing a new comparison.