What's A Simile Simple Definition

Simile comes from the Latin word similis, meaning “similar, like,” which is fitting since the comparison indicated by a simile will usually contain the words as or like.

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What is a Simile? At its heart, a simile is a comparison between two different things using the words “like” or “as”. It’s a way of saying something is similar to something else, to highlight a shared quality. Think of it as a bridge connecting two seemingly unrelated ideas.

A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also use other words that indicate an explicit comparison.

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A simile (SIM-uh-lee) is a comparison that uses like or as to describe something by comparing it to something else. Writers use similes for more relatable, precise descriptions.

Similes are a type of figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to compare two things. They help make ideas more concrete by linking them to familiar images. In fact, you probably hear dozens of simile examples every week, from “She’s fresh as a daisy” to “He’s like a bull in a china shop.”

50 Simile Examples to Sharpen Your Writing Like a Knife - Reedsy

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Similes help make ideas clear and images memorable in conversations and writing. Unlike metaphors, similes set ideas side by side to show similarities. A simile is a figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by like or as.

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A simile is an indirect comparison that uses words like “like” or “as” to connect the two items being compared. It emphasizes the similarities between the two items while acknowledging that they are ultimately distinct.