simile

sim·i·le

noun \ˈsi-mə-(ˌ)lē\

Definition of SIMILE

: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses) — compare metaphor

Examples of SIMILE

1. “She's as fierce as a tiger” is a simile, but “She's a tiger when she's angry” is a metaphor.
2. What do you think of the author's use of simile?
3. But Dickens finds the unexpected detail, the vivid simile. Think of Joe Gargery in Great Expectations, “with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites.” Or, in David Copperfield, Dora's cousin “in the Life-Guards, with such long legs that he looked like the afternoon shadow of somebody else.” —James Wood, New Republic, 14 Dec. 1998
4. After the internship year, doctors assume greater responsibility for directing patient care. Dr. Shockcor at West Virginia offered a homely simile: “It's like working in a factory, putting doors on cars. I'm now responsible that the doors get put on right, whereas as an intern I had to make sure I had a door in my hands and didn't miss a car going by.” —Michael Harwood, New York Times Magazine, 3 June1984

Origin of SIMILE

Middle English, from Latin, comparison, from neuter of similis

First Known Use: 14th century

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics

Rhymes with SIMILE

swimmily

simile

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Figure of speech involving a comparison between two unlike entities. In a simile, unlike a metaphor, the resemblance is indicated by the words “like” or “as.” Similes in everyday speech reflect simple comparisons, as in “He eats like a bird” or “She is slow as molasses.” Similes in literature may be specific and direct or more lengthy and complex. The Homeric, or epic, simile, which is typically used in epic poetry, often extends to several lines.