simile

IPA/ˈsɪməli/
IPA/ˈsɪməli/

simile — noun

  • similesingular
  • similesplural

1. a phrase or sentence that compares two different things by using the word “like”

1.nounB2
Definition

a phrase or sentence that compares two different things by using the word “like” or “as”, for example saying “she ran like the wind” or “he is as tall as a tree”

Example

In class, Mrs. Chen asked the students to write a simile about their favourite season.

simile + about + [topic] — typical object

The poet's use of simile helped readers picture the storm as “a hungry wolf.”

use of simile + as + [quoted comparison]

Common collocations
  • a simile for
  • draw a simile
  • use a simile
  • a striking simile
  • a simple simile
Synonyms
  • comparison

    broader category; simile is a specific type of comparison that uses ‘like’ or ‘as’

  • figure of speech

    hypernym; simile is one kind of figure of speech alongside metaphor, hyperbole, etc.

Antonyms
  • metaphor

    both compare two things, but metaphor does so without using ‘like’ or ‘as’

Usage Note

Simile is often confused with metaphor, which compares two things without using “like” or “as”. For example, “life is a journey” is a metaphor, while “life is like a journey” is a simile.

Common Mistakes

The clouds are cotton candy' (when a comparison using 'like' was intended).
The clouds are like cotton candy.
A simile must use 'like' or 'as'; without them the comparison becomes a metaphor.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as” (e.g. “her voice was like velvet”). A metaphor makes the same kind of comparison but without those signal words, claiming one thing IS another (e.g. “her voice was velvet”). An analogy is a longer, more extended comparison that explains a relationship between two things, often used to clarify a complex idea (e.g. “a heart is like a pump, moving blood through a system of pipes”). Comparison is the broadest term and can refer to any act of noting similarities, whether figurative or literal. When writing creatively, simile is the most direct and recognisable tool; in academic or explanatory writing, analogy is more common.

simile ↗metaphor ↗analogy ↗comparison ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a simile for
  • use of simile

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Simile comes from the Latin word “simile”, the neuter form of “similis” meaning “like” or “similar”. It was borrowed into Middle English during the 15th century through French rhetorical writing, where it became established as the standard term for a comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’.