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

Later, though, his experiment became a metaphor for the dangers of groupthink. — Ben Crair, New Yorker, 31 July 2026

And so the demonization of the wolf was imbued with religious overtones, drawing from biblical metaphors of God as shepherd to his Christian sheep, and the wolf as false prophet. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026

Aristotle was the first to systematically study the power of metaphor as a rhetorical device. — Richard Yanowitch, Mercury News, 29 July 2026

But The Devil’s Mouth is also a layered, and sometimes heavy-handed, metaphor about the importance of not letting someone make choices for you. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Video

When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes