analogy

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.

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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.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

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 analogy This might mean describing the science of the inflammatory condition or using an analogy. Jenna Anderson, Health, 11 Apr. 2025 Buscemi uses the analogy of staying at a luxury hotel and asking the concierge for a reservation at a hard-to-get spot. Michael Croley, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2025 Most important, the analogy to the Cold War of the 1970s is flawed. Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2025 Using a baseball analogy, no painter throws harder than Kent Monkman. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for analogy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for analogy
Noun
  • That last part is an apt metaphor for the city, which is on its sixth or 20th reinvention of itself, the days in which the Big Three auto companies created more than 470,000 jobs in the city and state of Michigan in the late ’70s are long gone.
    David Aldridge, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
  • While Nathan Fielder can still pay off his absurdly meticulous re-creation of a Houston airport terminal and the dozens of mimicked airline crew members and Panda Express workers inside it, the captain/co-pilot dynamic is proving to be an endlessly elastic metaphor.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Mississippi River Delta culture in Louisiana and the Mekong River Delta culture in Vietnam share similarities.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • While this may not be a direct response, Banks’ tweets come after fans began to note Banks latest song had stylistic similarities to GloRilla.
    Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • While major streaming platforms like Amazon’s Prime Video, Netflix and others have added sports to their rosters, some services, like Disney’s ESPN+ and direct-to-consumer counterparts of regional sports networks, are also offerings.
    Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The British Foreign Office confirmed that ministerial Ukraine peace talks with U.S. and European counterparts were postponed and downgraded to behind-the-scenes meetings with officials.
    Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Analogy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/analogy. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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