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simile

  (sĭm'ə-lē) pronunciation
n.

A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in “How like the winter hath my absence been” or “So are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare).

[Middle English, from Latin, likeness, comparison, from neuter of similis, like. See similar.]


 
 

(It.)

‘Like’, ‘similar’: a word used to mean ‘play as before’ (used particularly if repeating the notation of intricate phrasing etc would clutter a score).



 

simile [sim‐ĭ‐li], an explicit comparison between two different things, actions, or feelings, using the words ‘as’ or ‘like’, as in Wordsworth's line:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
A very common figure of speech in both prose and verse, simile is more tentative and decorative than metaphor. A lengthy and more elaborate kind of simile, used as a digression in a narrative work, is the epic simile.

 

Figure of speech involving a comparison between two unlike entities. In a simile, unlike a metaphor, the resemblance is indicated by the words "like" or "as." Similes in everyday speech reflect simple comparisons, as in "He eats like a bird" or "She is slow as molasses." Similes in literature may be specific and direct or more lengthy and complex. The Homeric, or epic, simile, which is typically used in epic poetry, often extends to several lines.

For more information on simile, visit Britannica.com.

 
(sĭm'əlē) [Lat.,=likeness], in rhetoric, a figure of speech in which an object is explicitly compared to another object. Robert Burns's poem “A Red Red Rose” contains two straightforward similes:

My love is like a red, red rose
 [U+00A0][U+00A0]That's newly sprung in June:
My love is like the melody
 [U+00A0][U+00A0]That's sweetly played in tune.

The epic, or Homeric, simile is an elaborate, formal, and sustained simile derived from those of Homer.


 
(sim-uh-lee)

A common figure of speech that explicitly compares two things usually considered different. Most similes are introduced by like or as: “The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.” (Compare metaphor.)

  • Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.

  •  

    A figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two essentially unlike things, usually using like, as or than.

     
    Word Tutor: simile
    pronunciation

    IN BRIEF: A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared.

    pronunciation The saying, My love is like a red, red rose, is a simile.

     
    Wikipedia: simile

    A simile is a comparison of two unlike things, typically marked by use of "like", "as", "than", or "resembles". Common examples are "the fog was thick like pea soup", "she was as quick as a whip", "madder than a bull", etc.


    Usage of a simile

    Similes are widely used in literature and speech both modern and ancient.

    Aristotle said that good similes give an "effect of brilliance", but he preferred the use of metaphor, as it was shorter, and therefore more attractive in creative usage.

    Homer made famous the use of 'epic simile', one from which a whole tradition of European extended simile was born. A true epic simile involves comparison of one composite action with or in relation with another composite action. Virgil and Dante refined the epic simile in order to develop with precision a multiplicity of comparisons with a single extensive image or action.

    John Keats shows this skill in Hyperion where he compares the fallen gods to Stonehenge.

    William Shakespeare uses similes, frequently involving historical references, for example in the play Julius Caesar.

    Similes are also widely used in modern literature. However, unlike the slightly scholarly usage of references as in ancient texts, they tend to be more spontaneous and expressive. Similes can also be read as a formulated allegory. Day to day language also incorporates similes, such as 'He's as sly as a fox' or 'She's as dumb as a doorknob' or even 'she's as gorgoeus as Aishani'. In rap music, Chino XL is often regarded as one of the best in terms of incorporating similes into his songs. [citations needed]

    Simile vs metaphor

    Similes are marked by use of the words "like" and "as". However, "The snow blanketed the earth" is also a simile and not a metaphor because the verb "blanketed" is a shortened form of the phrase "covered like a blanket". Metaphors differ from similes in that the two objects are not compared, but treated as identical: The phrase "The snow was a blanket over the earth" is a metaphor. Some would argue that a simile is actually a specific type of metaphor.[1] However, only some similes can be contracted into metaphors, and some metaphors can be expanded into similes. It is said to blend with the 'prosaic' metaphor.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ See Joseph Kelly's The Seagull Reader (2005), pages 377-379

    External links


     
    Translations: Translations for: Simile

    Dansk (Danish)
    n. - simili, sammenligning, lignelse

    Nederlands (Dutch)
    vergelijking, overeenkomst

    Français (French)
    n. - comparaison

    Deutsch (German)
    n. - Vergleich

    Ελληνική (Greek)
    n. - παρομοίωση

    Italiano (Italian)
    similitudine

    Português (Portuguese)
    n. - comparação (f)

    Русский (Russian)
    сравнение

    Español (Spanish)
    n. - símil

    Svenska (Swedish)
    n. - liknelse

    中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
    直喻, 明喻

    中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
    n. - 直喻, 明喻

    한국어 (Korean)
    n. - 직유 표현, 명유

    日本語 (Japanese)
    n. - 直喩
    adv. - 同様に

    العربيه (Arabic)
    ‏(الاسم) ألتشبيه في علم ألبلاغه‏

    עברית (Hebrew)
    n. - ‮דימוי‬


     
     

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