Synonyms of metaphor

metaphor

noun

ˈme-tə-ˌfȯr 

as in analogy

an elaborate or fanciful way of expressing something

"it's raining cats and dogs" is just a colorful metaphor and not a meteorological announcement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• analogy
• figure of speech
• device
• conceit
• simile
• euphemism
• code word
• circumlocution
• dead metaphor
• catachresis
• mixed metaphor
• crank

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of metaphor

Ballmer once bragged about how many toilets are in the Intuit Dome, and that feels like a metaphor for the state of his Clippers. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

This organic metaphor, like the more direct invocation of the female body as an icon, seems to represent another aspect of ostensible artistic sincerity that Koether shows herself inclined to distrust. — Barry Schwabsky, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Its visual metaphors are not subtle; its verbal unpacking of them, even less so. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes