1
as in metaphor
a way of describing or explaining one thing by means of describing another with which it shares certain points or qualities
The teacher used the analogy of a common pipeline to explain bandwidth on the Internet.
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2
as in equivalent
resemblance in certain points or qualities between two or more otherwise unlike things
The study made note of analogies between human and ape social behavior.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of analogy
In fact, a 2022 Cleveland Clinic study found that patient comprehension doubled when physicians used plain-language explanations and analogies .
—
Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
O’Neil uses an hourglass analogy: Imagine counting grains of sand at the top (radioactive elements) and bottom (elements produced from radioactive decay).
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
Beckett draws an analogy with searching for a photograph taken on your smartphone.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 June 2025
The first half, to use a running analogy, suggested Costello would have struggled to complete a 10K run, even at a saunter.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for analogy
Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
O’Neil uses an hourglass analogy: Imagine counting grains of sand at the top (radioactive elements) and bottom (elements produced from radioactive decay).
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
Beckett draws an analogy with searching for a photograph taken on your smartphone.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 June 2025
The first half, to use a running analogy, suggested Costello would have struggled to complete a 10K run, even at a saunter.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for analogy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for analogy
Noun
-
Ogwumike promised the on-stage conversations would be wide-ranging and not, to use a sports metaphor, filled with softball questions.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
In thinking about faraway prospects such as Palencia, Hoyer used a different sports metaphor.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
That event contained eerie similarities to the flood that occurred over the weekend, when slow-moving thunderstorms trained over a large area of the Hill Country during the late evening of July 16, 1987.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 July 2025
-
The storyline seemed to have similarities to what happened on your season of The Bachelorette.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
7 July 2025
Noun
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All of this determines why Le Bernardin is expensive, but not as much as many others in New York, and considerably less than Parisian counterparts.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Certain types of roofing materials are designed to reflect more sunlight than their counterparts, leading to cooler interiors.—
Maddie Topliff,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Analogy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/analogy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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