Synonyms of analogy

analogy

noun

1

as in metaphor

a way of describing or explaining one thing by means of describing another with which it shares certain points or qualities

The teacher used the analogy of a common pipeline to explain bandwidth on the Internet.

Related Words

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

2

as in equivalent

resemblance in certain points or qualities between two or more otherwise unlike things

The study made note of analogies between human and ape social behavior.

Related Words

• equivalent
• similarity
• counterpart
• homology
• equal
• parallel
• resemblance
• commonality
• common denominator
• similitude
• correspondence
• congruity

Dissimilar Words

• difference
• discrepancy
• divergence
• variation
• modification
• change
• incongruity
• deviance
• incongruence
• dissimilarity

Synonym Chooser

How is the word analogy distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of analogy are likeness, resemblance, similarity, and similitude. While all these words mean "agreement or correspondence in details," analogy implies likeness or parallelism in relations rather than in appearance or qualities.

pointed out analogies to past wars

How do likeness and similarity relate to one another, in the sense of analogy?

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

When might resemblance be a better fit than analogy?

In some situations, the words resemblance and analogy are roughly equivalent. However, resemblance implies similarity chiefly in appearance or external qualities.

statements that bear little resemblance to the truth

When is similitude a more appropriate choice than analogy?

While in some cases nearly identical to analogy, similitude applies chiefly to correspondence between abstractions.

two schools of social thought showing points of similitude

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of analogy

To be clear, this is only an analogy and shouldn’t be taken too far. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2025

When the United States joined NATO in 1949, American policymakers pointed to the Rio Pact as a precedent and drew analogies between the alliance’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, and the Monroe Doctrine. —Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025

Where words divide, the Saint Laurent aesthetic creates space to breathe and invent new analogies. —Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

People make close, intense bonds when stuck in the Big Brother house together, and Vince and Morgan’s dynamic crosses more lines with each passing day, emotional cheating threatening to tip into physical even as Vince continues to hopelessly cloak his feelings in flimsy analogies and code phrases. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025