SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
simile
noun
A figure of speech comparing things explicitly, often using like or as.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Explicit figurative comparison
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA simile makes a figurative comparison explicit, often using like or as. Explicit comparison alone can be literal; figurative comparison alone can include metaphor. Analogy is broader.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See simile in use
The phrase as quiet as falling snow is a simile.
A simile in the new sketch described its exhausted host as moving like a clock with a weak battery, making the comparison explicit.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license