noun
analogy
uh-NAL-uh-jee/əˈnælədʒi/
A comparison between different things that helps explain an idea or support reasoning.
The teacher draws an analogy between the bird's wings and the airplane's wings.
Etymology
The pieces originally describe agreement in proportion, as in mathematics. That idea broadened into a comparison that draws attention to similarities between things.
In context
In this analogy, the leaky faucet represents the ceiling of the cave. The dripping water is similar to the mineral laden water
More examples
- His analogy makes the unfamiliar process easier to imagine.
- Every analogy breaks down if pushed too far.
- The essay compares several analogies for the workings of memory.
Forms
analogy · analogies
analogous adjective — Similar enough in certain respects for comparison.
Similar words
- comparison
- May simply note similarities without explaining a further idea.
- metaphor
- Often identifies one thing with another rather than reasoning explicitly.