1
as in metaphors
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.
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2
as in similarities
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.
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Recent Examples of analogies
But upcoming listings from SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI are big enough and systemically important enough to the market that those analogies may not apply.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
Some see analogies to the Olympics.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 June 2026
The psychologist found these analogies interesting.
—Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Those are harsh analogies but not wholly inapt ones.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
Klemperer also noticed how often Nazi propaganda used sports analogies and superlatives to make its point.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
The storylines and analogies Brown uses vary in familiarity.
—Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Complex or technical topics should be explained in terms that members already understand, using simple analogies for understanding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
There are analogies to the suspense that a pregnant woman must feel.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
Some see analogies to the Olympics.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 June 2026
The psychologist found these analogies interesting.
—Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Those are harsh analogies but not wholly inapt ones.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
Klemperer also noticed how often Nazi propaganda used sports analogies and superlatives to make its point.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
The storylines and analogies Brown uses vary in familiarity.
—Haley Sawyer, Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Complex or technical topics should be explained in terms that members already understand, using simple analogies for understanding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026
There are analogies to the suspense that a pregnant woman must feel.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for analogies
Noun
-
Both plays are loopy extended metaphors, turning a funhouse mirror on the mundanities of everyday existential struggle.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
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Pinney’s fantasies and visual metaphors are sometimes more poignant in concept than in execution, and a theme of Ray’s crude racist impulses is baldly inserted but left undeveloped.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Concha drew similarities between working at Amazon or Tesla with working at Facebook.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
12 June 2026
-
The two played in a pass-and-cut system that Boswell said had some similarities to what the Warriors do.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The Big Think website has been optimized to work with all major browsers and devices.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 June 2026
-
Numerous guests were reportedly secured in harnesses and fall protection and then transitioned onto aerial devices.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The Royals lack the pitching equivalents of what Jensen was, potential candidates for next year’s rotation in the upper minors.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
Though Uruguay has officially won two World Cups, its team features four stars on its crest because FIFA recognizes its two Olympic soccer championships in 1924 and 1928 as championship equivalents.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Analogies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/analogies. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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