analogy

[ uh-nal-uh-jee ]

noun

, plural a·nal·o·gies.

1. a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based:

   the analogy between the heart and a pump.

   Synonyms: affinity, similitude, resemblance, likeness, comparison

2. similarity or comparability:

   I see no analogy between your problem and mine.

   Synonyms: correspondence

3. Biology. an analogous relationship.
4. Linguistics.
   1. the process by which words or phrases are created or re-formed according to existing patterns in the language, as when shoon was re-formed as shoes, when -ize is added to nouns like winter to form verbs, or when a child says foots for feet.
   2. a form resulting from such a process.
5. Logic. a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of the known similarity between the things in other respects.

analogy

/ əˈnælədʒɪ; ˌænəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. agreement or similarity, esp in a certain limited number of features or details
2. a comparison made to show such a similarity

   to draw an analogy between an atom and the solar system

3. biology the relationship between analogous organs or parts
4. logic maths a form of reasoning in which a similarity between two or more things is inferred from a known similarity between them in other respects
5. linguistics imitation of existing models or regular patterns in the formation of words, inflections, etc

   a child may use ``sheeps'' as the plural of ``sheep'' by analogy with ``dog'', ``dogs'', ``cat'', ``cats'', etc

analogy

1. A comparison of two different things that are alike in some way ( see metaphor and simile ). An analogy attributed to Samuel Johnson is: “Dictionaries are like watches; the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true.”

Derived Forms

• analogical, adjective
• ˌanaˈlogically, adverb
• aˈnalogist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of analogy¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin analogia, from Greek; analogous, -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of analogy¹

C16: from Greek analogia ratio, correspondence, from analogos analogous

Example Sentences

“I love the little guy. It’s this wonderful analogy for life.”

From BBC

She uses the analogy of teaching children to swim, rather than banning them from the water.

From BBC

“The loose intermodal analogies — for example, ‘Red is like the sound of a trumpet’ — which crop up in discussions of this subject are of little use.

From Salon

“In this approach the currently fixed geometry of quantum theory, tied to the Born rule for quantum probabilities, becomes dynamical, in analogy with dynamical spacetime metric of general relativity,” Minic said.

From Salon

“Even very young children are adept at learning abstract rules from just a few examples,” Mitchell and colleagues wrote last year after subjecting GPT bots to a series of analogy puzzles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• comparison
• correlation
• metaphor
• parallel

More About Analogy

What is an analogy?

An analogy is a comparison made to show how two different things are similar, especially in limited ways.

An analogy is a technique frequently used in literature to explain something by comparing it to something else (a literary device). There are several types of analogies you can make.

A simile directly compares two seemingly unrelated things and then explains what the two items have in common to make a point. Similes often use like or as to make the comparison, as in Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. The analogy says that life, like an unlabeled box of chocolates, is mysterious and full of both pleasant and unpleasant surprises.

A metaphor indirectly compares two things, as in He was a wolf among sheep in the boardroom, taking command instantly. Instead of the analogy saying the corporate executive was like a ferocious predator, it says he is a ferocious predator. The analogy makes the point that the man was aggressive and dominated the other people in the room.

Analogies are complex and often rely on a reader or listener using logic to figure out what connection the user of the analogy is making.

In other areas of study, such as math and science, analogies are used to infer, or to figure out through reason and logic, unknown information. For example, if you know how A is similar to B and how B is similar to C, using reason you can determine how A is similar to C.

Why are analogies important?

The first records of analogy come from around 1530. It ultimately comes from the Greek word análogos, meaning “proportionate.” An analogy is comparing two proportional, or relative, things.

Analogies are a common literary device used to enrich writing. The great William Shakespeare used many analogies in his work, such as this one from Romeo and Juliet:

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called.

Juliet is using an analogy that compares Romeo to a rose to explain that she would love Romeo no matter what his last name was.

Did you know ... ?

Many standardized tests use simple analogies to see how well a person can use logic and reasoning to draw comparisons. These are often written A:B::X:Y, as in kitten:cat::puppy:___. To correctly answer the question, you must figure out the relationship between a kitten and a cat (a kitten is a baby cat) and a kitten and a puppy (a kitten and puppy are both baby animals) to determine what you should put in the blank (dog).

What are real-life examples of analogies?

This clip shows the movie character Shrek attempting to explain the complexity of ogres using an analogy:

<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GZpcwKEIRCI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Many of our favorite works of entertainment use analogies, and we sometimes use them ourselves.

I can't think of an analogy for how I feel about watching the job market. I've tried a whole bunch in my head, but the closest I can get is one of Jigsaw's traps, but not one like in Saw V. More like Saw IV where I'm watching helplessly. I literally don't know what more I can do.

— Lauren ''No Chill'' Ackerman (@VerbingNouns) August 20, 2020

Just saw a crow eating a dead snake and I feel like this is an analogy for something, but I'm not sure what.

— Just Notch (@SuprasternalN) May 25, 2020

What other words are related to analogy?

• comparison
• explanation
• logic
• simile
• metaphor

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

An analogy contrasts two similar things by pointing out their differences.