analogy

play

noun anal·o·gy \ə-ˈna-lə-jē\

Definition of analogy

plural

analogies

1 : inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others
2a : resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike : similarityb : comparison based on such resemblance
3 : correspondence between the members of pairs or sets of linguistic forms that serves as a basis for the creation of another form
4 : correspondence in function between anatomical parts of different structure and origin — compare homology

See analogy defined for English-language learners

See analogy defined for kids

Examples of analogy in a Sentence

He does, though, suffer from the occupational deformation of international relations specialists: an enthusiasm for ransacking the past in search of precedents, analogies, patterns, and cycles that might explain the present and forecast the future. —Tony Judt, New York Book Review, 10 Apr. 2003
People who do this call themselves “white-hat” hackers—good people who show other people their vulnerabilities. Take the following analogy: I've designed a great new lock pick, and I'm going to give this great new gadget away to show everyone that the typical door lock is ineffective against my new pick. —John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine, 4 Apr. 2000
It has often been said that movie stars are the royalty of America. (The better analogy, really, is that the royals are the movie stars of Britain.) —Neal Gabler, Life: The Movie, 1998
Parts of the far-infrared sky look like colonies of spiders gone mad. The fine structure seen there is called cirrus, by analogy with filamentary clouds on Earth. —Virginia Trimble et al., Sky & Telescope, January 1995

Recent Examples of analogy from the Web

But this isn’t really about drawing a one-to-one analogy between what Clinton did and what Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., did.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "When Trump isn’t running against Clinton, even voters in Trumpland are less supportive," 17 July 2017
Yes, but the supernatural elements of the show are used as analogies and symbolic metaphors.

— michael harriot, The Root, "The Black Person’s Guide to Game of Thrones," 12 July 2017
Aaron's description of Tom as the Devil is funny and moving, but the original script had a subplot that would have made Aaron's Satanic analogy more biting, and less about Aaron's heartbreak.

— douglas perry, OregonLive.com, "Holly Hunter classic 'Broadcast News' is 30 and better than ever, earns hat tip from Netflix hit 'GLOW'," 12 July 2017
The cardiac analogy is more than skin deep because a tunicate, like a heart, is all about pumping fluid.

— jennifer frazer, Scientific American Blog Network, "Alien Creature Swarming Oregon's Coast Is Actually a Close Relative [Video]," 10 July 2017
The analogy has never worked, because even at its worst moments America has generally been a haven for its Jewish immigrants and their descendants, and a place of bondage for its black residents and theirs.

— adam serwer, The Atlantic, "The Story of Jay-Z," 7 July 2017
Everyone, actually, seems to use a computer analogy.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017
Asked to explain how this drug works, Krystal uses a computer analogy.

— rene chun, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression," 19 June 2017
Crocodylians provide an obvious analogy here, their sensitive facial receptors (the integumentary sense organs – or ISOs – in particular) being involved in the face-stroking and nuzzling that occurs during courtship.

— darren naish, Scientific American Blog Network, "The Sensitive Face of a Big Predatory Dinosaur," 16 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analogy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Digging Into the Most Common Meaning of analogy

In its most common use, analogy has to do with comparison of things based on those things being alike in some way. For example, one can make or draw an analogy between the seasons of the year and the stages of life. People also reason by way of analogy, asserting, for example, that abandoning a project is like leaving a house partway built. Although an analogy can be summarized quickly, as in these examples, an analogy actually encompasses the comparison or inference itself, and is therefore different from figures of speech, like metaphors and similes, which are forms of expression.

Some tests ask you to identify analogies, finding the second of a pair that has the same relationship as a completed pair. Analogy tests often look like this:

ice : cold :: steel : ____

a. hard b. loud c. fresh d. small

Because the relationship between ice and cold is that coldness is a quality of ice, the word that goes with steel is hard, since hardness is a quality of steel.

The word analogy (which comes from analogous) traces back by way of Latin to a Greek word meaning "proportionate." That word has a root in the Greek word logos, meaning "reason."

Origin and Etymology of analogy

see analogous

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of analogy

likeness, similarity, resemblance, similitude, analogy mean agreement or correspondence in details. likeness implies a closer correspondence than similarity which often implies that things are merely somewhat alike. a remarkable likeness to his late father some similarity between the two cases resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities. statements that bear little resemblance to the truth similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions. two schools of social thought showing points of similitude analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities. pointed out analogies to past wars

ANALOGY Defined for English Language Learners

analogy

play

noun

Definition of analogy for English Language Learners

: a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way
: the act of comparing two things that are alike in some way

ANALOGY Defined for Kids

analogy

noun anal·o·gy \ə-ˈna-lə-jē\

Definition of analogy for Students

plural

analogies

1 : a comparison of things based on ways they are alike He made an analogy between flying and surfing.
2 : the act of comparing things that are alike in some way She explained by analogy.