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.
Related Words
Relevance
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of analogies
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
The two immediately start swapping trivia and relative distance analogies.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
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
The two immediately start swapping trivia and relative distance analogies.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for analogies
Noun
-
Arnold uses different metaphors to describe his feelings about what lies between him and brother.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
The songs are representative of teams via lyrics, metaphors and just overall vibes.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
By studying past hurricanes, AI models can identify similarities with current storms and help forecasters detect important changes earlier.—
Katie Garch,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
-
The teams look for similarities, not exact matches, Page said.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The sources described it as a preliminary operation laying the groundwork for additional steps by installing listening devices and intelligence equipment in the area.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
That treatment gap is reviving interest in experimental blood-filtering devices that can physically remove viral particles from the bloodstream.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Models like Mythos are unique today, but history is clear that open-weight equivalents will follow.—
Philip Martin,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
How different to the NASA equivalents at Cape Canaveral (then Cape Kennedy) and Houston, which were already well established in the national lexicon by the late '60s.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Analogies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/analogies. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
