What is the language device used to make a comparison of two unlike things using the word like or as?

The difference between a metaphor and a simile is like the difference between precious metals and gems (both are valuable and useful, but one can take many more forms). Understanding this difference—and knowing how to use both—can be a jewel in the crown of your writing, making your descriptions and comparisons more colorful and engaging. See what we did here? That first sentence uses a simile, and the second uses a metaphor. But do you know what makes a simile a simile and what makes a metaphor a metaphor?

Table of Contents Show

⚡️ Quick summary
What is a simile?
Where does the word simile come from?
What are some examples of similes?
Where does the word metaphor come from?
How to use simile vs. metaphor
II. Examples of Similes
III. The importance of using Similes
IV. Examples of Similes in Literature
V. Examples of Similes in Pop Culture
VI. Related Terms: Simile vs. Metaphor
VI. In Closing

Similes and metaphors are two of the most common figures of speech—expressions that allow us to make comparisons, connections, and descriptions beyond literal ones. Join us as we dig into how they work, explain how to tell them apart, and give you a treasure trove of examples.

⚡️ Quick summary

A simile is a comparison between two things that uses the word like or as: Her smile is as bright as sunshine. A metaphor is a direct comparison between two things that does not use like or as: Her smile is sunshine. The word metaphor is more broad and can also refer to a variety of ways of comparing or connecting different things, including those that don’t use words at all.

What is a simile?

A simile is a figure of speech in which two things are compared in a way that clearly indicates that a comparison is being made. This is typically done using the words like or as. The most basic form is X is like y, as in His temper is like a thunderstorm. But you can form similes in other ways, too: His temper is as furious as a thunderstorm or His temper is furious, much like a thunderstorm.

Similes are generally used to make descriptions more vivid. Saying “The stars twinkled” doesn’t spark the imagination nearly as much as “The stars twinkled like diamonds.” Similes allow descriptions to be more concrete or better engage the senses—which makes the descriptions stand out more. But the use of like or as clearly indicates that a comparison is being made.

Where does the word simile come from?

Simile comes from the Latin similis, meaning “similar.” A simile states that two things are similar (and explicitly signals that a comparison is being made by using like or as).

What are some examples of similes?

Similes are everywhere: in poems, songs, novels, news reports, everyday conversation, and any writing or speech using a creative comparison that involves the words like or as.

There were rockets like a flight of scintillating birds singing with sweet voices. (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. (Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise”)
The man moved with exquisite calm, like a leaf drifting on the surface of a pond, making its own way on gentle currents. (Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad)
You are like a hurricane/There’s calm in your eye (Neil Young, “Hurricane”)
Then she looks up at us with a scowl, like we’re keeping something from her, like we’re evil stepmothers keeping her rightful crown under lock and key. (Celeste Ng, “Girls, at Play”)
Your love is like a rollercoaster (Ohio Players, “Love Rollercoaster”)
So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You’re like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie …. (Walter Sobchak, The Big Lebowski)

Educate yourself further on how to use figuratively and literally accurately.

Metaphor is a much broader term than simile. In the broadest sense, the word metaphor refers to a symbol that represents something else. So, for example, you could say something like “In the novel, the horse that keeps appearing and disappearing is a metaphor for death.” Many of what we call figures of speech are technically types of metaphors (even similes can be thought of as a type of metaphor).

In terms of writing and speech, a metaphor is the applying of a word or phrase to something that’s not literally related in order to suggest a resemblance.

Sometimes, this type of metaphor is basically a simile without the words like or as, as in His temper was a thunderstorm. Like similes, metaphors are used to draw vivid comparisons or create associations. But the effect can be even more powerful with metaphors because metaphors can be much more complex.

An extended metaphor is a metaphor in a literary work, such as a novel or poem, that isn’t just used in one line but is extended over multiple lines or throughout the work. Metaphors can also be subtle. In writing and other art forms, a metaphor might not be stated directly at all, but instead left to be interpreted by the reader or viewer (like the example of the horse above).

Metaphors are especially common in creative writing, but they also appear in other art forms and everyday speech.

But that the dread of something after death, the undiscover’d country (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
“Hope” is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul (Emily Dickinson, “ ‘Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers”)
But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill. (William Sharp, “The Lonely Hunter”)
Your clothes were curtains hanging on the window of what had been your flesh and now was glass. (Marge Piercy, “My Mother’s Body”)
Life is your restaurant and I’m your maître d’. (Disney’s Aladdin, “Friend Like Me”)
I got a bowling ball in my stomach/I got a desert in my mouth. (Tori Amos, “Crucify”)
Love is a battlefield. (Pat Benetar, “Love Is a Battlefield”)

Metaphors can be found in all of the places that similes are, but a comparison doesn’t need to be stated with words to be a metaphor. For example, the late-night diner scene depicted in Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks is often interpreted as a metaphor for the loneliness and alienation of modern city life.

Similes and metaphors are commonly used in poetry. How well do you know these other poetry terms?

Where does the word metaphor come from?

The word metaphor comes from the Greek metaphorá, meaning “a transfer.” In essence, the use of metaphor involves the transfer of meaning from one thing to another.

How to use simile vs. metaphor

Remember, a simile compares two two similar things using like or as. A metaphor, on the other hand, makes the assertion that something is something else, as opposed to being like something else.

Because of this directness, you might want to use a metaphor when you want a description to be stronger or more forceful, whereas you might want to use a simile when you want it to be clear that you’re making a comparison. Still, both can be used in a broad range of situations and contexts.

Metaphor is also a broader term—many literary devices, creative descriptions, and symbols can be considered types of metaphors.

Examples of simile and metaphor used in a sentence:

His metaphor made no sense to her—what did “life is a textbook” even mean?
Clean as a whistle is a commonly used simile whose original, literal meaning isn’t entirely clear.
Although the directness of a metaphor is more vivid, the fact that a simile contains an explicit comparison can make it easier for readers to follow.

Simile (pronounced sim--uh-lee) is a literary term where you use “like” or “as” to compare two different things and show a common quality between them. A simile is different from a simple comparison in that it usually compares two unrelated things. For example, “She looks like you” is a comparison but not a simile. On the other hand, “She smiles like the sun” is a simile, as it compares a woman with something of a different kind- the sun.

II. Examples of Similes

Similes find, or perhaps create, similarities in typically different things. In fact, there may be no real similarity between the things compared, such a woman and the sun.

Example #1

The image below describes a girl’s smile.

Using the sun to describe a girl’s smile gives you an idea of how bright her smile seems, you can just picture its radiance.

Example #2

Consider this description of a thin man:

He’s as thin as a rail!

There can be no real similarity between a man and a rail. But, describing a man as “as thin as a rail” evokes the image of a remarkably thin man, as a rail is a very thin pole.

Example #3

Consider a description of a graceful woman:

She moved like a deer.

In this case, the comparison is much closer; a deer and a person are at least both living creatures. But they are still different enough for it to be a simile. After all, if she literally moved just like a deer, she might be graceful, but we would also worry about her sanity. The simile is still figurative, because we’re just saying that she moves with some of the qualities of a deer, not just like one!

III. The importance of using Similes

Similes are an important tool that make language more creative, descriptive, and entertaining. The mind thinks in images and associations, so similes are used to make stronger and more effective descriptions than if only adjectives or literal descriptions were used; they can stir up associated emotions, create new connections in the mind, and emphasize certain characteristics. Similes are almost essential to creative expression from everyday speech to poetry.

IV. Examples of Similes in Literature

Similes give the reader a more vivid experience of the story, calling powerful images to mind.

Example #1

For an example of simile in prose, read this excerpt from George Orwell’s novel 1984:

He sat as still as a mouse, in the futile hope that whoever it was might go away after a single attempt. But no, the knocking was repeated. The worst thing of all would be to delay. His heart was thumping like a drum, but his face, from long habit, was probably expressionless.

This passage uses two similes: “as still as a mouse” and “thumping like a drum.” Comparing the fearful man to a mouse emphasizes both his stillness and his helplessness. Comparing a heartbeat to a drumbeat emphasizes its pounding due to fear. Similes create a much more evocative passage than literal alternatives such as “He was afraid” and “His heart beat hard.”

Example #2

For a poetic example of simile, read an excerpt from Christina Rossetti’s poem “A Birthday”:

My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water’d shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea; My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.

Rossetti uses simile three times in this section of the poem: her heart is “like a singing bird,” “like an apple-tree,” and “like a rainbow shell.” Rossetti compares the heart to a joyful bird in a full nest, an apple tree full of fruit, and a beautiful shell in a peaceful sea in order to poetically describe its joy, fullness, and peacefulness.

V. Examples of Similes in Pop Culture

Similes are just as prevalent in pop culture as they are in art, from movies and television to song.

Example #1

Lenka’s Everything at Once:

As sly as a fox

As strong as an ox

As fast as a hare

As brave as a bear

Lenka performing the song:

Lenka - Everything At Once

This video uses Lenka’s song “Everything at Once” which is full of similes. Lenka describes many character traits that she wishes to have, including shyness, strength, quickness, and bravery, by using animals or objects that symbolize those traits.

Example #2

I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast, but we like hot butter on the breakfast toast.

The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight (Official Video)

This example is an excerpt from Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rappers Delight.” Comparing themselves to hot butter on toast is a way of saying just how ‘hot,’ or popular, the group is.

Example #3

The next example of Simile even became a popular catch-phrase:

Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

This example is from Outkast’s hit song “Hey Ya!” Comparing the body to a Polaroid picture encourages the audience to get up, dance, and shake the same way people used to shake a polaroid picture to dry it out more quickly.

Both similes and metaphors compare two different types of things. Unlike simile, though, metaphor makes a direct comparison without using “like” or “as.” For example, consider the following descriptions:

Metaphor:

He’s a wolf.

In this metaphor, the comparison made is that a person is equal to a wolf, not like a wolf. Since this cannot be literal, we know that it must mean that he is like a wolf in some way, probably that he is predatory, wild, or hungry. In order to express the same idea, simile is slightly different:

Simile:

He’s like a wolf. Or

He’s as hungry as a wolf.

As you can see, both metaphors and similes make the same kinds of vivid comparisons, just in different words. Which one you use may just depend on what kind of wording sounds or feels best in context.

VI. In Closing

Similes are a powerful and creative form of description that uses comparison to evoke images or symbols of whatever you are trying to describe. The simile can make a woman’s smile beautiful by comparing it to a rose, or it can make her sly by comparing her to a fox. Similes use comparison to create connections between very different things, creating strong feelings and images.