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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.]
‘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
I wandered lonely as a cloudA 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.
For more information on simile, visit Britannica.com.
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.
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.)
A figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two essentially unlike things, usually using like, as or than.
The saying, My love is like a red, red rose, is a 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.
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.
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]
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.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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)
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
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 直喩
adv. - 同様に
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ألتشبيه في علم ألبلاغه
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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