analogical

[ an-l-oj-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. based on, involving, or expressing an analogy.

Other Words From

• ana·logi·cal·ly adverb
• ana·logi·cal·ness noun
• nonan·a·logic adjective
• nonan·a·logi·cal adjective
• nonan·a·logi·cal·ly adverb
• nonan·a·logi·cal·ness noun
• unan·a·logi·cal adjective
• unan·a·logi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of analogical¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin analogic(us) (from Greek analogikós; analogy, -ic ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

“Until the Supreme Court expands their analogical focus beyond 1791, this Court as an inferior court must follow the Supreme Court founding era mandate,” he wrote.

From Seattle Times

Clearly, if much of our knowledge is analogical in origin it cannot be certain, and the real causes of events may always escape us.

From Literature

The role of frontal poles is emphasized in the case of analogical reasoning, the lateral inferior frontal gyrus in metaphor processing, and anterior aspects of the superior temporal gyrus in insight.

From Scientific American

In fact, nobody in this cold, hard-core, genre-blurring novel can be understood except in analogical terms; even a murderer finds himself bewildered to be “someone who DID things. Someone like the people in detective novels.”

From New York Times

By contrast “Managers who pay attention to their own analogical thinking will make better strategic decisions and fewer mistakes.”

From Time