1
as in metaphors
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 similarities
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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Recent Examples of analogies
As Trump fumbles with the Pandora’s Box he’s broken open, there’s no shortage of historical analogies to choose from.
—
Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
There are analogies to the suspense that a pregnant woman must feel.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The two immediately start swapping trivia and relative distance analogies.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Her lyrics declared independence from clingy lovers and assorted social expectations, often through analogies inspired by technology.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Esteemed writers fall back on lazy analogies and text like drunk high schoolers.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
More and more, Jackson seeks out biblical analogies and snaps them down like safety catches over the loose ends of his earlier life.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
At a time of deepening national division, the recent spate of Civil War analogies should come as no surprise.
—Jennifer Murray, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Baseball has a lot of good analogies for fatherhood, even if most of them break down rather quickly.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
There are analogies to the suspense that a pregnant woman must feel.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The two immediately start swapping trivia and relative distance analogies.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Her lyrics declared independence from clingy lovers and assorted social expectations, often through analogies inspired by technology.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Esteemed writers fall back on lazy analogies and text like drunk high schoolers.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
More and more, Jackson seeks out biblical analogies and snaps them down like safety catches over the loose ends of his earlier life.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
At a time of deepening national division, the recent spate of Civil War analogies should come as no surprise.
—Jennifer Murray, The Conversation, 18 Feb. 2026
Baseball has a lot of good analogies for fatherhood, even if most of them break down rather quickly.
—Caleb Harris, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for analogies
Noun
-
Threads become metaphors for relationships—fragile yet resilient, personal yet interconnected.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
His appetite for complexity was increasingly indulged as a means of branding cities and institutions, and his novel forms were deployed as blunt metaphors to absorb and obscure contradictions rather than negotiate them in material and spatial terms.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And the similarities don’t stop there.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Birch sees similarities between Wagler and Braun, who won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets after helping KU win the 2022 national championship.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During the Apollo missions, astronauts used urine collection and transfer devices, as well as plastic bags taped to the buttocks to collect feces.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Our bill will ban the federal government from buying and operating these devices made in countries that wish us harm.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rock stars and their equivalents in other genres often develop their craft in obscurity before being discovered; idols are apprentices, trained exhaustively by their management companies.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Short-term money market funds and cash equivalents can offer places to hide from the volatility.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Analogies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/analogies. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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