example of essay simile

Simile Definition

A simile is a figure of speech in which two essentially dissimilar objects or concepts are expressly compared with one another through the use of “like” or “as.” Simile is used as a literary device to assert similarity with the help of  like or  as,  which are language constructs that establish equivalency. A proper simile creates an explicit comparison between two things that are different enough from each other such that their comparability appears unlikely.

For example, the statement “this poem is like a punch in the gut” features a simile. The poem is being explicitly compared to a “punch in the gut” with the word “like.” This is an effective simile in that a poem is not at all similar to a punch in literal terms. However, figuratively, the simile’s comparison and association between these two things establishes that the impact of the poem on the speaker has the force of and feels similar to a punch in the gut.

Common Examples of Simile

There are many common examples of simile used in everyday conversation and writing. Here are some well-known phrases that utilize this figure of speech:

• Nutty as a fruitcake
• Slept like a log
• Sly as a fox
• Fits like a glove
• Cool as a cucumber
• Blind as a bat
• Light as a feather
• Like watching paint dry
• Works like a charm
• Old as the hills
• Pretty as a picture
• Hurts like the devil
• Strong as an ox
• Fight like cats and dogs
• Sparkle like diamonds
• Cheeks like roses
• Flat as a pancake
• Eyes like glass
• Sweet as sugar
• Dull as a doorknob
• Bright as the sun
• Tough as nails
• Smart as a whip
• Mad as a hatter
• Happy as a clam

Examples of Similes for Love

One of the most common concepts to feature simile as a literary device is love. Here are some memorable lines and quotes that showcase simile as an effective comparison for describing love:

• Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop. (H.L. Mencken)
• Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. (Khalil Gibran)
• Love is like a friendship caught on fire. (Bruce Lee)
• Love is like a faucet; it turns off and on. (Billie Holiday)
• And she said losing love is like a window in your heart; everybody sees you’re blown apart; everybody sees the wind blow (Paul Simon)
• Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. ( Oscar Wilde )
• Love is like the wild rose-briar ( Emily Bronte )
• Falling out of love is like losing weight. It’s a lot easier putting it on than taking it off. (Aretha Franklin)
• Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same. (Helen Keller)
• Love is like the measles. The older you get it, the worse the attack. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

Famous Examples of Simile

Simile is also found in many famous examples of poetry,  prose ,  drama , lyrics , and even clever quotations. Here are some famous examples of simile:

• Easy Like Sunday Morning (Lionel Richie)
• All those moments will be lost in time, like… tears in rain . (Blade Runner)
• Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. (Albert Einstein)
• That’s always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they’re pretty. It’s like picking your breakfast cereal based on color instead of taste. ( John Green )
• Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die. (Anne Lamott)
• Writing a novel is like driving a car at night . You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. (E.L. Doctorow)
• Parents are like God because you wanna know they’re out there, and you want them to think well of you, but you really only call when you need something. (Chuck Palahniuk)
• Time was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on. (Jonathan Safran Foer)
• Being with her I feel a pain, like a frozen knife stuck in my chest. (Haruki Murakami)
• Her hair, like golden threads, play ’d with her breath. ( William Shakespeare )
• Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom. (Arthur Schopenhauer)
• You, just like heaven. (The Cure)
• Life is like writing with a pen. You can cross out your past but you can’t erase it. (E.B. White)
• The pain is like an axe that chops my heart. ( Yann Martel )
• We are like roses that have never bothered to bloom when we should have bloomed and it is as if the sun has become disgusted with waiting. (Charles Bukowski)

Difference Between Simile and Metaphor

Some may find it difficult to differentiate between simile  and metaphor as literary devices since both are figures of speech designed to create meaning through comparisons. Simile is actually a subset of metaphor and is distinguished by the presence of one of two words: “like” and “as.” Metaphors create direct comparisons without using either of these words, whereas similes feature either like  or  as  in making a comparison.

The following lyrics from a song featured in Walt Disney’s “Bambi” is an example that illustrates the difference between simile and metaphor:

Love is a song that never ends One simple theme repeating Like the voice of a heavenly choir Love’s sweet music flows on

The first two lines feature a metaphor. Love is directly compared to a “song that never ends.” Though love and a song are seemingly unlike entities, the metaphor connects them such that the comparison makes sense to the audience . By linking love to a song that never ends, the metaphor enhances the meaning and audience understanding of love as a concept.

The last two lines of these lyrics feature a simile. The way “love’s sweet music” flows is compared to the “voice of a heavenly choir.” The previous metaphor has established love as a song. Therefore, the simile advances this meaning by comparing love’s music to a choir voice. Rather than stating that love’s music is a choir voice and creating another metaphor, the simile indicates that love’s music is  like a choir voice. The simile enhances the imagery and audience understanding of love, established by the metaphor, with further use of figurative language .

Writing Simile

Overall, as a literary device, simile functions as a means of creating an equivalent comparison or establishing similarity between two seemingly different things. This is an effective figure of speech for readers in that simile can create an association between two dissimilar entities or ideas that illuminate each other and enhance the meaning of both. Simile is an essential literary device for writers of both poetry and prose .

It’s important that writers construct proper similes so that the comparative meaning is not lost for the reader. In fact, like metaphors, similes are dependent on the understandable combination of a principal term and a secondary term. The principal term conveys the literal entity to be described, and the secondary term is used figuratively to add meaning. For example, in the simile “the cat’s fur felt smooth as silk,” the principal term is “cat’s fur” and the secondary term is “silk.” By comparing the smooth feel of the cat’s fur to the feel of silk, the reader’s understanding of the texture of both things is enhanced through figurative language.

Here are some ways that writers benefit from incorporating simile into their work:

Create Imagery

Similes allow writers to create imagery for readers through figurative language that might otherwise be limited by just descriptive language. In other words, an effective simile eliminates the need for excessive explanation or description on the part of the writer. Instead, by creating similarity through comparing two different things, an image is created for the reader to allow for greater meaning and understanding. This imagery is a powerful result of using simile as a literary device.

Generate Thought and Emotion

When writers utilize simile as a literary device, it generates thought on the part of the reader regarding the “logic” or truth in such a comparison. These thoughts, in turn, can evoke emotion in the reader through the realization that the comparison is valid and reflects a level of truth they may not have understood before. Similes are especially effective in poetry as a means of portraying truths in a lyrical yet concise manner.

Examples of Simile in Literature

Simile is a very effective and widely used literary device. Here are some examples of simile and how it adds to the significance of literary works:

Example 1:  Horseradish (Lemony Snicket)

A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.

Lemony Snicket is well-known for his brilliant use of simile as a means of describing concepts, especially for children. In this line, he demonstrates not only the power of simile as a comparison between a library and an island with figurative language, but he also invokes a literal image of a library as an island. This reinforces the significance of a library as a refuge and protective haven against ignorance and other potentially destructive forces.

Example 2:  A Red, Red Rose (Robert Burns)

O my Luve’s like a red, red rose , That’s newly sprung in June; O my Luve’s like the melodie That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

In this stanza , the poet compares the person he loves both to a rose and melody. In poetry, the concept of love is often compared to a rose and/or a song. However, in this poem, Burns enhances those similes by comparing his “Luve,” an actual person rather than an abstract concept, to a rose and a song. This allows the reader to understand that the poet views the person he loves as a symbol of love itself.

Example 3:  Spring is like a perhaps hand (e.e. cummings)

Spring is like a perhaps hand (which comes carefully out of Nowhere)arranging a window,into which people look(while people stare arranging and changing placing carefully there a strange thing and a known thing here)and changing everything carefully Spring is like a perhaps Hand in a window (carefully to and fro moving New and Old things,while people stare carefully moving a perhaps fraction of flower here placing an inch of air there)and without breaking anything.

In this poem, Cummings creates an unusual simile in that the literary device compares dissimilar things in a tentative way. Most poets utilize simile as a means of asserting similarities through comparisons. However, by comparing Spring to a “perhaps” hand, the poet leaves a sense of the indefinite, and creates less of an absolute assertion of the association between Spring and a hand.

However, rather than being weak or ineffective, this “approximate” simile reinforces the meaning and imagery of the poem itself. The poem’s theme is that the changes brought about by Spring are so gentle and subtle that they are nearly unnoticeable as they are happening. Therefore, the comparison to a “perhaps” hand invokes the association between Spring and something that is all but unseen, and therefore elusive or ephemeral.

Related posts:

• 20 Best Simile Examples from Songs
• 15 Visionary Simile Examples in The Bible
• 15 Top Homeric Simile Examples
• 10 Imaginative Similes in 1984
• Romeo and Juliet Similes
• 10 Best Poems With Similes

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Write a Simile

I. What is a Simile?

Simile (pronounced sim – uh -lee) is a literary term where you use “like” or “as” to compare two different things and show a common quality between them. A simile is different from a simple comparison in that it usually compares two unrelated things. For example, “She looks like you” is a comparison but not a simile. On the other hand, “She smiles like the sun” is a simile, as it compares a woman with something of a different kind- the sun.

II. Examples of Similes

Similes find, or perhaps create, similarities in typically different things. In fact, there may be no real similarity between the things compared, such a woman and the sun.

The image below describes a girl’s smile.

Using the sun to describe a girl’s smile gives you an idea of how bright her smile seems, you can just picture its radiance.

Consider this description of a thin man:

He’s as thin as a rail!

There can be no real similarity between a man and a rail. But, describing a man as “as thin as a rail” evokes the image of a remarkably thin man, as a rail is a very thin pole.

Consider a description of a graceful woman:

She moved like a deer.

In this case, the comparison is much closer; a deer and a person are at least both living creatures. But they are still different enough for it to be a simile. After all, if she literally moved just like a deer, she might be graceful, but we would also worry about her sanity. The simile is still figurative, because we’re just saying that she moves with some of the qualities of a deer, not just like one!

III. The importance of using Similes

Similes are an important tool that make language more creative, descriptive, and entertaining. The mind thinks in images and associations, so similes are used to make stronger and more effective descriptions than if only adjectives or literal descriptions were used; they can stir up associated emotions, create new connections in the mind, and emphasize certain characteristics. Similes are almost essential to creative expression from everyday speech to poetry.

IV. Examples of Similes in Literature

Similes give the reader a more vivid experience of the story, calling powerful images to mind.

For an example of simile in prose, read this excerpt from George Orwell’s novel 1984 :

He sat as still as a mouse, in the futile hope that whoever it was might go away after a single attempt. But no, the knocking was repeated. The worst thing of all would be to delay. His heart was thumping like a drum, but his face, from long habit, was probably expressionless.

This passage uses two similes: “as still as a mouse” and “thumping like a drum.” Comparing the fearful man to a mouse emphasizes both his stillness and his helplessness. Comparing a heartbeat to a drumbeat emphasizes its pounding due to fear. Similes create a much more evocative passage than literal alternatives such as “He was afraid” and “His heart beat hard.”

For a poetic example of simile, read an excerpt from Christina Rossetti’s poem “A Birthday”:

My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water’d shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea; My heart is gladder than all these Because my love is come to me.

Rossetti uses simile three times in this section of the poem: her heart is “like a singing bird,” “like an apple-tree,” and “like a rainbow shell.” Rossetti compares the heart to a joyful bird in a full nest, an apple tree full of fruit, and a beautiful shell in a peaceful sea in order to poetically describe its joy, fullness, and peacefulness.

V. Examples of Similes in Pop Culture 

Similes are just as prevalent in pop culture as they are in art, from movies and television to song.

Lenka’s Everything at Once :

As sly as a fox As strong as an ox As fast as a hare As brave as a bear

Lenka performing the song:

This video uses Lenka’s song “Everything at Once” which is full of similes. Lenka describes many character traits that she wishes to have, including shyness, strength, quickness, and bravery, by using animals or objects that symbolize those traits.

I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast, but we like hot butter on the breakfast toast.

This example is an excerpt from Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rappers Delight.” Comparing themselves to hot butter on toast is a way of saying just how ‘hot,’ or popular, the group is.

The next example of Simile even became a popular catch-phrase:

Shake it like a Polaroid picture!

This example is from Outkast’s hit song “Hey Ya!” Comparing the body to a Polaroid picture encourages the audience to get up, dance, and shake the same way people used to shake a polaroid picture to dry it out more quickly.

VI. Related Terms: Simile vs. Metaphor

Both similes and metaphors compare two different types of things. Unlike simile, though, metaphor makes a direct comparison without using “like” or “as.” For example, consider the following descriptions:

He’s a wolf.

In this metaphor, the comparison made is that a person is equal  to a wolf, not like a wolf. Since this cannot be literal, we know that it must mean that he is like a wolf in some way, probably that he is predatory, wild, or hungry.  In order to express the same idea, simile is slightly different:

He’s like a wolf. Or

He’s as hungry as a wolf.

As you can see, both metaphors and similes make the same kinds of vivid comparisons, just in different words. Which one you use may just depend on what kind of wording sounds or feels best in context.

VI. In Closing

Similes are a powerful and creative form of description that uses comparison to evoke images or symbols of whatever you are trying to describe. The simile can make a woman’s smile beautiful by comparing it to a rose, or it can make her sly by comparing her to a fox. Similes use comparison to create connections between very different things, creating strong feelings and images.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of simile.

Simile is an explicit comparison between two unlike things through the use of connecting words, usually “like” or “as.” The technique of simile is known as a rhetorical analogy, as it is a device used for comparison. The other most popular rhetorical analogy is metaphor, which shares some traits and is often confused with simile. We explain the difference in greater detail below.

Difference Between Simile and Metaphor

As stated above, simile and metaphor are often confused. Though the difference is simple between the definition of simile and that of metaphor, it can be profound. While simile compares two things with the connecting words “like” or “as,” metaphor simply states that one thing is the other. For example, a simile would be, “He was as aggressive as a tiger in that argument,” whereas a metaphor would be, “He was a tiger in that argument.” Metaphors are thus subtler and can be stronger in a rhetorical sense, because they equate the two things in comparison rather than just present them as similar. Similes, however, allow for truly bizarre comparisons that make the reader stretch to understand the connection between them.

Common Examples of Simile

There are many clichéd similes in the English language that we use regularly. Here are some examples:

• Strong as an ox
• Fit as a fiddle
• Bright as the sun
• Sweating like a pig
• White as a sheet
• His heart was as cold as ice
• Sleeping like a log
• Fast as lightning
• Dance like no one is watching

Significance of Simile in Literature

Simile can be an excellent way for an author either to make an unusual thing seem more familiar (i.e., “The planet Zenoth was as cold as ice”) or a familiar thing seem more unique (i.e., “Her smile was jagged like a broken zipper”). In this way, similes can help the reader imagine the fictive world of a piece of literature. Good similes can also make readers think about things in a new way, and can sometimes create a lasting effect. Scottish poet Robert Burns’s declaration that his “luve’s like a red, red rose” forever linked the concepts of love and red roses in our minds.

Simile can also sometimes be used to show a comparison, though with the conclusion that these two things really are unalike or even at odds with each other. This can either be a negative simile, which might come in the form of “A is not like B” (see Example #1 below) or an ironic simile, which communicates the opposite of what is expected at the beginning of the statement. For example, the famous feminist quote popularized by Gloria Steinem, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” ultimately concludes that a woman has no need for a man.

Simile can help to make new connections for the reader. One of literature’s purposes is to help better explain the world around us, and the technique of simile is one of those ways in which we are able to see things in a new way. All types of analogies are cognitive processes of transferring meaning from one thing to another, and thus the use of simile in literature has real synaptic effects. For this reason, and for aesthetic purposes, simile has been a popular literary technique for many hundreds of years.

Examples of Simile in Literature

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

(“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare)

This excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” is an example of a negative simile. Shakespeare goes against the expectation praising his mistress’s beauty and instead says what she is not like. Her lips are not as red as coral, her skin is not pure as snow, and so on. This striking simile example plays with both the tradition of sonnets as well as the usual function of similes.

Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

( A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

This excerpt from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol also plays with the tradition of similes. Dickens knowingly uses the clichéd simile “dead as a doornail” (perhaps more clichéd now than even in his day). He then investigates the simile, humorously pointing out that there is nothing “particularly dead about a doornail” and that a coffin nail would have provided a better simile. But, as he concludes, some similes display “the wisdom of our ancestors,” which is to say, not much wisdom at all.

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.   Or does it explode?

(“Harlem” by Langston Hughes)

Langston Hughes uses five examples of simile in this short poem, “Harlem.” Each simile is one possibility that Hughes imagines for “a dream deferred.” The imagery was so striking in this poem that playwright Lorraine Hansberry named her famous play A Raisin in the Sun after the first simile in the poem. All of the similes in this poem share a sense of decay and burden, just like a dream that does not come to fruition.

The Radley Place fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him as the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the light-pole on the corner, a safe distance from the Radley gate.

( To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

The classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee centers around the tragedy of Boo Radley, a man falsely accused for a crime. This evocative simile at the beginning of the novel somewhat foreshadows the main characters’ relation to Boo: the children Scout and Jem are fascinated by him as well as terrified of him. This fascination and terror draws their friend Dill “as the moon draws water,” an allusion to the way the presence of the moon changes the tides.

I wait, washed, brushed, fed, like a prize pig.

( The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood)

This simple example of simile in Margaret Atwood’s dystopic novel The Handmaid’s Tale is not so simple when looked at more closely. The protagonist of the novel is Offred, a woman whose sole purpose is to reproduce with the higher social classes. Women in this new society have had their rights entirely taken away, even to the point of their humanity. Therefore, Offred’s comparison between herself and a prize pig shows that she is treated no differently than—and no better than—an animal.

Test Your Knowledge of Simile

1. Choose the correct simile definition: A. A comparison where one thing is stated to be another. B. A comparison between two unlike things, usually using the connecting words “like” or “as.” C. A contrast between two things, showing how they are unalike. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #1″] Answer: B is the best definition of simile. While negative similes or ironic similes may show a contrast between the things being compared, C does not hold true for all similes.[/spoiler]

2. Which of the following excerpts from Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin contains a simile? A. 

There are moments we return to, now and always. Family is like water – it has a memory of what it once filled, always trying to get back to the original stream.

Some people think love is the end of the road, and if you’re lucky enough to find it, you stay there. Other people say it just becomes a cliff you drive off…

Try to describe the taste of a peach. Try to describe it. Feel the rush of sweetness…

[spoiler title=”Answer to Question #2″] Answer: A contains a simile in the comparison of “family” with “water,” and therefore is the correct answer. B contains examples of metaphor.[/spoiler]

3. Does the following excerpt from Shakespeare’s Macbeth contain a simile, a metaphor, or both?

LADY MACBETH: Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under ‘t.

A. Simile B. Metaphor C. Both [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #3″] Answer: C is correct. The first line is an example of simile and the second line is an example of metaphor.[/spoiler]

Frequently asked questions

What is an example of a simile.

A simile is a rhetorical device used to compare two things (typically using the words “like,” “as,” or “than”).

Many common expressions are similes, including: “as quiet as a mouse,” “as strong as an ox,” and “as fit as a fiddle.”

Similes are commonly used in literature, advertising, and everyday speech. However, they should be avoided in formal contexts like academic writing .

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What Is a Simile? 60+ Examples and Teaching Ideas

A simile is as vivid as a rainbow.

Similes are one of the most popular literary devices, alongside their cousins metaphors and analogies. But how can you identify a simile? Learn the details here, plus find lots of engaging simile examples and fun teaching ideas.

What is a simile?

Simply put, a simile (say “SIM-uh-lee”) is a comparison between two things, usually using the words “like” or “as.” These comparisons are used to describe something, usually with colorful and expressive language. Similes help make a point or paint a clearer picture of the item being described.

• Example: The bad news struck them like a bolt of lightning.

Similes are a type of figurative language, in which words or phrases are meaningful but not strictly true. In the above example, the reader isn’t meant to believe that the people were actually struck by lightning. Instead, the simile helps the reader feel how shocking the news was to the recipients.

Need some help remembering the definition? Note that “simile” sounds like “similar.” When you make a comparison between two similar things, using “like” or “as,” that’s a simile.

Simile vs. Metaphor

It’s easy to get similes and metaphors confused, since both are types of comparisons. However, in a metaphor, you won’t find the words “like” or “as.” A metaphor states directly that one thing is another thing.

• Simile: Her smile is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
• Metaphor: Her smile is the sunshine we need on such a cloudy day.

Learn more about metaphors here.

Common Simile Examples

These similes are well-known figures of speech, found frequently in all sorts of writing.

• Bright like the sun
• Cold as ice
• Cool as a cucumber
• Dead as a doornail
• Deaf as a post
• Easy as pie
• Fresh as a daisy
• Helpless as a baby
• Kind as an angel
• Light as a feather
• Like two peas in a pod
• Run like the wind
• Sleep like a baby
• Slow as molasses in winter
• Shine like a star
• Sharp like a knife
• Straight as an arrow
• Sweet as sugar
• Tall as a mountain
• White as a ghost

Animal Simile Examples

Similes often use animals, making comparisons to their behaviors and characteristics. Here’s a selection of popular animal similes.

• Big as an elephant
• Blind as a bat
• Brave as a lion
• Busy as a bee
• Fight like cats and dogs
• Float like a butterfly
• Free as a bird
• Gentle as a lamb
• Hop like a bunny
• Hungry as a bear
• Jump like a kangaroo
• Mad as a hornet
• Proud as a peacock
• Soar like an eagle
• Slippery as an eel
• Slow as a snail
• Sly as a fox
• Snore like a bear
• Swim like a fish
• Wise as an owl

Simile Examples From Literature

Authors and poets frequently use similes in their works, bringing life and meaning to their compositions. Check out these incredible simile examples for inspiration.

• “She walks in beauty like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies.” ( “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron)
• “What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?” ( “Harlem” by Langston Hughes)
• “O my Luve is like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June.” ( “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns)
• “Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way.” ( “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth)
• “Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.” ( A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)
• “In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun.” ( The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane)
• “The very mystery of him excited her curiosity like a door that had neither lock nor key.” ( Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell)
• “The water made a sound like kittens lapping.” ( The Yearling , by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings)
• “Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed towards me like towers of Pisa.” ( Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov)
• “Up above the world so high / like a diamond in the sky.” (“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by Anonymous)

Simile Examples From Songs

Song lyrics are full of similes, like those found in these examples.

• “When your heart’s just like a drum / Beating louder with no way to guard it.” (“Permission to Dance” by BTS)
• “My love is like a rocket / Watch it blast off.” (“Levitating” by Dua Lipa)
• “You look like a movie, you sound like a song.” (“When We Were Young” by Adele)
• “Shine bright like a diamond.” (“Diamonds” by Rihanna)
• “I will be rising from the ground like a skyscraper.” (“Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato)
• “Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.” (“Red” by Taylor Swift)
• “And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind.” (“Candle in the Wind” by Elton John)
• “Like a rock, I was strong as I could be.” (“Like a Rock” by Bob Seeger)
• “I’m like a bird, I only fly away.” (“I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado)
• “Hit me like a ray of sun burning through my darkest night.” (“Halo” by Beyoncé)

How To Teach Similes

Looking for some creative ideas for teaching similes in the classroom? Try these clever activities.

Create a simile rainbow

Color similes are a terrific way to start learning this type of figurative speech. Even very young students can come up with color comparisons. Grab a free printable to use at the link, or simply color your own rainbow and add similes to each stripe.

Learn more: Simile Rainbow via The Classroom Creative

Write Hershey’s Kiss similes

Every kid loves learning with a sweet snack! After they use their five senses to describe the candy, students can write similes to bring the descriptions to life.

Learn more: Hershey’s Kiss Similes via Teacher by the Beach

Craft simile mobiles

Pick an item for the main part of the mobile, then write similes on the tags that hang from it. These would make great classroom decorations.

Learn more: Simile Mobiles via School Time Snippets

Visit Planet Simile

Use your imaginations to dream up what aliens from another planet would look like. Then, describe them using lots of creative similes.

Learn more: Planet Simile via Teaching Tales Along the Yellow Brick Road

Read a mentor text

Dive into pretty much any book, and you’ll find similes galore! Choose a text to share with your class, and have them jot down similes on sticky notes as they hear them. Add them all to an anchor chart you can refer to later on.

Learn more: Simile Mentor Text via Tara Teaches

What simile examples do you use to help drive the concept home? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, 75+ appealing alliteration examples (plus teaching ideas) ..

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Figurative Language

Figurative Language Definition

What is figurative language? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Figurative language is language that contains or uses figures of speech . When people use the term "figurative language," however, they often do so in a slightly narrower way. In this narrower definition, figurative language refers to language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. This view of figurative language focuses on the use of figures of speech that play with the meaning of words, such as metaphor , simile , personification , and hyperbole .

Some additional key details about figurative language:

• Figurative language is common in all sorts of writing, as well as in spoken language.
• Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative speech is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine.
• It's a common misconception that imagery, or vivid descriptive language, is a kind of figurative language. In fact, writers can use figurative language as one tool to help create imagery, but imagery does not have to use figurative language.

Figurative Language Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce figurative language: fig -yer-uh-tiv lang -gwij

Figures of Speech and Figurative Language

To fully understand figurative language, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of figures of speech. More specifically, it's helpful to understand the two main types of figures of speech: tropes and schemes .

• Tropes are figures of speech that play with and shift the expected and literal meaning of words.
• Schemes are figures of speech that involve a change from the typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or arrangement of words.

Put even more simply: tropes play with the meaning of words, while schemes play with the structure of words, phrases, and sentences.

The Different Things People Mean When They Say Figurative Language

When people say figurative language, they don't always mean the precise same thing. Here are the three different ways people usually talk about figurative language:

• Dictionary definition of figurative language: According to the dictionary, figurative language is simply any language that contains or uses figures of speech. This definition would mean that figurative language includes the use of both tropes and schemes.
• Much more common real world use of figurative language: However, when people (including teachers) refer to figurative language, they usually mean language that plays with the literal meaning of words. This definition sees figurative language as language that primarily involves the use of tropes.
• Another common real world use of figurative language: Some people define figurative language as including figures of speech that play with meaning as well as a few other common schemes that affect the rhythm and sound of text, such as alliteration and assonance .

What does all that boil down to for you? If you hear someone talking about figurative language, you can usually safely assume they are referring to language that uses figures of speech to play with the meaning of words and, perhaps, with the way that language sounds or feels.

Common Types of Figurative Language

There are many, many types of figures of speech that can be involved in figurative language. Some of the most common are:

• Metaphor : A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For example, the phrase "her lips are a blooming rose" obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that makes a comparison between the red beauty and promise of a blooming rose with that of the lips of the woman being described.
• Simile : A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is like another thing. An example of a simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
• Oxymoron : An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet , "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels.
• Personification : In personification, non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent to their plans." Describing the rain as "indifferent" is an example of personification, because rain can't be "indifferent," nor can it feel any other human emotion.
• Idiom : An idiom is a phrase that, through general usage within a particular group or society, has gained a meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. The phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" is known to most Americans to mean that it's raining hard, but an English-speaking foreigner in the United States might find the phrase totally confusing.
• Onomatopoeia : Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or describe. The “boom” of a firework exploding, the “tick tock” of a clock, and the “ding dong” of a doorbell are all examples of onomatopoeia.
• Synecdoche : In synecdoche, a part of something is used to refer to its whole . For example, "The captain commands one hundred sails" is a synecdoche that uses "sails" to refer to ships—ships being the thing of which a sail is a part.
• Metonymy : Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in "Wall Street prefers lower taxes," the New York City street that was the original home of the New York Stock Exchange stands in for (or is a "metonym" for) the entire American financial industry.
• Alliteration : In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “ b ” sound in: “ B ob b rought the b ox of b ricks to the b asement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around them.
• Assonance : The repetition of vowel sounds repeat in nearby words, such as the " ee " sound: "the squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one another.

Figurative Language vs. Imagery

Many people (and websites) argue that imagery is a type of figurative language. That is actually incorrect. Imagery refers to a writers use of vivid and descriptive language to appeal to the reader's senses and more deeply evoke places, things, emotions, and more. The following sentence uses imagery to give the reader a sense of how what is being described looks, feels, smells, and sounds:

The night was dark and humid, the scent of rotting vegetation hung in the air, and only the sound of mosquitoes broke the quiet of the swamp.

This sentence uses no figurative language. Every word means exactly what it says, and the sentence is still an example of the use of imagery. That said, imagery can use figurative language, often to powerful effect:

The night was dark and humid, heavy with a scent of rotting vegetation like a great-aunt's heavy and inescapable perfume, and only the whining buzz of mosquitoes broke the silence of the swamp.

In this sentence, the description has been made more powerful through the use of a simile ("like a great-aunt's..."), onomatopoeia ("whining buzz," which not only describes but actually sounds like the noise made by mosquitoes), and even a bit of alliteration in the " s ilence of the s wamp."

To sum up: imagery is not a form of figurative language. But a writer can enhance his or her effort to write imagery through the use of figurative language.

Figurative Language Examples

Figurative language is more interesting, lively, beautiful, and memorable than language that's purely literal. Figurative language is found in all sorts of writing, from poetry to prose to speeches to song lyrics, and is also a common part of spoken speech. The examples below show a variety of different types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each type at their own specific LitChart entries.

Figurative Language Example: Metaphor

Metaphor in shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo uses the following metaphor in Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet , after sneaking into Juliet's garden and catching a glimpse of her on her balcony:

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun not only to describe how radiantly beautiful she is, but also to convey the full extent of her power over him. He's so taken with Juliet that her appearances and disappearances affect him like those of the sun. His life "revolves" around Juliet like the earth orbits the sun.

Figurative Language Example: Simile

In this example of a simile from Slaughterhouse-Five , Billy Pilgrim emerges from an underground slaughterhouse where he has been held prisoner by the Germans during the deadly World War II firebombing of Dresden:

It wasn't safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. When the Americans and their guards did come out, the sky was black with smoke. The sun was an angry little pinhead. Dresden was like the moon now , nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead.

Vonnegut uses simile to compare the bombed city of Dresden to the moon in order to capture the totality of the devastation—the city is so lifeless that it is like the barren moon.

Figurative Language Example: Oxymoron

These lines from Chapter 7 of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls describe an encounter between Robert Jordan, a young American soldier fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and his lover María.

She held herself tight to him and her lips looked for his and then found them and were against them and he felt her, fresh, new and smooth and young and lovely with the warm, scalding coolness and unbelievable to be there in the robe that was as familiar as his clothes, or his shoes, or his duty and then she said, frightenedly, “And now let us do quickly what it is we do so that the other is all gone.”

The couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. The contradiction contained within the oxymoron "scalding coolness" emphasizes the couple's conflicting emotions and impossible situation.

Figurative Language Example: Hyperbole

Elizabeth Bennet, the most free-spirited character in Pride and Prejudice , refuses Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal with a string of hyperbole :

From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.

Elizabeth's closing statement, that Darcy is the "last man in the world" whom she would ever marry, is an obvious hyperbole. It's hard to believe that Elizabeth would rather marry, say, an axe murderer or a diseased pirate than Mr. Darcy. Even beyond the obvious exaggeration, Austen's use of hyperbole in this exchange hints at the fact that Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy are more complicated than she admits, even to herself. Austen drops various hints throughout the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth feels something beyond mere dislike for Darcy. Taken together with these hints, Elizabeth's hyperbolic statements seem designed to convince not only Darcy, but also herself, that their relationship has no future.

Figurative Language Example: Personification

In Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne describes a wild rose bush that grows in front of Salem's gloomy wooden jail:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

In the context of the novel's setting in 17th century Boston, this rose bush, which grows wild in front of an establishment dedicated to enforcing harsh puritan values, symbolizes those elements of human nature that cannot be repressed, no matter how strict a community's moral code may be: desire, fertility, and a love of beauty. By personifying the rosebush as "offering" its blossoms to reflect Nature's pity (Nature is also personified here as having a "heart"), Hawthorne turns the passive coincidence of the rosebush's location into an image of human nature actively resisting its constraints.

Figurative Language Example: Idiom

Figurative language example: onomatopoeia.

In Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tempest , Caliban uses onomatopoeia to convey the noises of the island.

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices...

The use of onomatopoeia makes the audience feel the sounds on the island, rather than just have to take Caliban's word about there being noises.

Figurative Language Example: Synecdoche

In Act 4, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Macbeth , an angry Macbeth kicks out a servant by saying:

Take thy face hence.

Here, "thy face" stands in for "you." Macbeth is simply telling the servant to leave, but his use of synecdoche makes the tone of his command more harsh and insulting because he uses synecdoche to treat the servant not as a person but as an object, a body part.

Figurative Language Example: Metonymy

In his song "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G. raps:

Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Here he's using "limelight" as a metonymy for fame (a "limelight" was a kind of spotlight used in old theaters, and so it came to be associated with the fame of being in the spotlight). Biggie's use of metonymy here also sets him up for a sweet rhyme.

Figurative Language Example: Alliteration

In his song "Rap God," Eminem shows his incredible lyrical dexterity by loading up the alliteration :

S o I wanna make sure, s omewhere in this chicken s cratch I S cribble and doodle enough rhymes T o maybe t ry t o help get s ome people through t ough t imes But I gotta k eep a few punchlines Just in c ase, ‘ c ause even you un s igned Rappers are hungry l ooking at me l ike it's l unchtime…

Why Do Writers Use Figurative Language?

The term figurative language refers to a whole host of different figures of speech, so it's difficult to provide a single definitive answer to why writers use figurative language. That said, writers use figurative language for a wide variety of reasons:

• Interest and beauty: Figurative language allows writes to express descriptions, ideas, and more in ways that are unique and beautiful.
• Complexity and power: Because figurative language can create meanings that go beyond the literal, it can capture complex ideas, feelings, descriptions, or truths that cause readers to see things in a new way, or more closely mirror the complex reality of the world.
• Visceral affect: Because figurative language can both impact the rhythm and sound of language, and also connect the abstract (say, love) with the concrete (say, a rose), it can help language make an almost physical impact on a reader.
• Humor: By allowing a writer to layer additional meanings over literal meanings, or even to imply intended meanings that are the opposite of the literal meaning, figurative language gives writers all sorts of options for creating humor in their writing.
• Realism: People speak and even think in terms of the sorts of comparisons that underlie so much figurative language. Rather than being flowery, figurative language allows writers to describe things in ways that match how people really think about them, and to create characters who themselves feel real.

In general, figurative language often makes writing feel at once more accessible and powerful, more colorful, surprising, and deep.

Other Helpful Figurative Language Resources

• The dictionary definition of figurative : Touches on figurative language, as well as some other meanings of the word.
• Figurative and Frost : Examples of figurative language in the context of the poetry of Robert Frost.
• Figurative YouTube : A video identifying various forms of figurative language from movies and television shows.
• Wikipedia on literal and figurative language : A bit technical, but with a good list of examples.

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• Alliteration
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Simile - Explore Meaning, Definition, Usage and Examples

Are you as busy as a bee? Do you have a few minutes to spare? If you do, here is something you can learn that will help you make your language look and sound a lot more interesting than it already is. In this article, you will be introduced to a figure of speech called simile, its meaning, definition and how to use them effectively. There are also a number of examples given that you can make use of in your own writing or speech.

Table of Contents

What is a simile – meaning and definition, how to use a simile in a sentence.

• Examples of Simile for Everyday Use

Check Your Understanding of Similes

Frequently asked questions on similes in english grammar.

A simile is a figure of speech that is mainly used to compare two or more things that possess a similar quality. It uses words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make the comparison.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a simile is defined as “a word or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words like or as .” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a simile as “an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words as or like ”. “A simile is an expression which describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else”, according to the Collins Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a simile as “a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as .”

A simile is generally used in a sentence to make comparisons between two or more nouns and this is done with the use of words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’. The general idea of using a simile with the word ‘as’ is by using a noun that is known for a particular quality. For example: as proud as a peacock, as busy as a bee and so on. A simile is a direct comparison of two like or unlike things. A simile helps your reader or listener visualise, understand and have a better conception of the quality of the nouns being compared. It makes it a lot more vivid and descriptive. In other words, it can be said that similes can be used to provide a mental image to your reader or listener.

Examples of Similes for Everyday Use

Here is a list of similes to help you understand how similes are formed and how they can be used in sentences.

Similes using ‘as’

• As slow as a sloth
• As busy as a bee
• As innocent as a lamb
• As proud as a peacock
• As fast as a cheetah
• As blind as a bat
• As bold as brass
• As cold as ice
• As white as a ghost
• As tall as a giraffe
• As sweet as sugar
• As strong as an ox
• As old as the hills
• As cool as a cucumber
• As clear as a crystal
• As tough as leather
• As good as gold
• As light as a feather
• As thin as a rake
• As deep as the ocean
• As cunning as a fox
• As clean as a whistle
• As sharp as a razor
• As gentle as a lamb
• As bright as the moon

Similes using ‘like’

• Jumps like a frog
• Sings like a cuckoo
• Runs like the wind
• Nocturnal like an owl
• Have eyes like a hawk
• Runs like a horse
• Swim like a fish
• Climbs like a monkey
• Sleeps like a baby
• Fighting like cats and dogs
• Fall like teardrops
• Eat like a pig
• Like a box of chocolates
• Slept like a log
• Chatters like a monkey
• Move like a snail
• Fit like a glove

Identify the similes in the following sentences.

1. My love is like a red rose.

2. My brother and I fight like cats and dogs all the time.

3. Iniyan is always as busy as a bee.

4. My cousin chatters like a monkey.

5. Kitty is as proud as a peacock.

6. Sruthy works like a sloth.

7. My dog, Shadow, eats like a pig after I take him for a walk.

8. Stephen slept like a baby after working for ten long hours.

9. My father has eyes like a hawk. He finds out even the minutest of things.

10. Bob is as cunning as a fox.

Check your answers from the sentences given below.

1. My love is like a red rose .

3. Iniyan is always as busy as a bee .

6. Sruthy works like a sloth .

9. My father has eyes like a hawk . He finds out even the minutest of things.

10. Bob is as cunning as a fox .

What is a simile?

What is the definition of a simile.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a simile is defined as “a word or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words like or as.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a simile as “an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words as or like”. “A simile is an expression which describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else”, according to the Collins Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a simile as “a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as.”

Why should you use a simile in a sentence?

A simile is a direct comparison of two like or unlike things. A simile helps your reader or listener visualise, understand and have a better conception of the quality of the nouns being compared. It makes it a lot more vivid and descriptive. In other words, it can be said that similes can be used to provide a mental image to your reader or listener.

Give some examples of similes using ‘as’.

Here are a few examples of similes formed using ‘as’.

Give some examples of similes using ‘like’.

Here are a few examples of similes formed using ‘like’

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145+ Examples of Simile for Everyday Usage

• Updated on  
• Nov 4, 2023

Almost all of us have used a simile in our daily conversations. Consciously or otherwise, this is one of the most commonly used figures of speech that has become a part of our daily vocabulary. Knowing about different similes can be beneficial, especially for aspirants of competitive examinations such as the IELTS , GRE , TOEFL, etc. To help you understand what this literary device is and how it is used, this blog brings you a comprehensive guide on the definition and examples of simile, along with the ways it can be used in a sentence.

This Blog Includes:

Importance of using a simile , how to use a simile in a sentence, 31 examples of simile for daily usage, examples of similes to use as phrases, best examples of similes for kids, examples of simile in classic literature, examples of simile in song lyrics, examples of simile in advertising slogans  , examples of simile in writing, examples of simile using “as”, examples of simile using “like” , what is the difference between simile and metaphor, similes and exaggeration, practice with simile quiz , download simile quiz pdf, simile worksheets, what is a simile.

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things that have similar properties or characteristics. Similes are often confused with metaphors, which is another different figure of speech used for comparison. The easiest way to identify a simile as opposed to a metaphor is to look for the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. Thus, the best examples of similes include ‘ as ’ or ‘ like ’ such as “as proud as a peacock”.

Similes are a powerful tool for making language more interesting, descriptive, and creative. Because the mind thinks in images and associations, similes can elicit stronger and more effective descriptions than adjectives or exact descriptions; they can activate linked emotions, generate new mental connections, and underline specific features. From common conversation to poetry, similes are almost required for creative expression.

A simile is generally used in a sentence to make comparisons between two or more nouns and this is done with the use of words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’. The general idea of using a simile with the word ‘as’ is by using a noun that is known for a particular quality.

For example : as proud as a peacock, as busy as a bee and so on.

A simile is a direct comparison of two like or unlike things. A simile helps your reader or listener visualize, understand, and have a better conception of the quality of the nouns being compared. It makes it a lot more vivid and descriptive. In other words, it can be said that similes can be used to provide a mental image to your reader or listener.

Now that you are familiar with what simile means, we have compiled a comprehensive list of some of the popular examples of similes you must know about! Check out the following list of similes:

• As black as coal Example: His face became as black as coal after being criticized.
• As blind as a bat Example: My uncle is as blind as a bat without his spectacles.
• As cool as a cucumber Example: While all of us were panicking just before the declaration of the results, Naina was as cool as a cucumber.
• As brave as a lion Example: While fighting the war, the soldier was as brave as a lion.
• Cunning like a fox Example: Don’t trust his words, he is cunning like a fox.
• As cold as ice Example: The expression on her face was as cold as ice.
• As busy as a be e Example: My wife is as busy as a bee in the mornings.

Like these examples of similes? Check out our blog on 50 Common Proverbs with Meaning and Examples !

• As clean as a whistle Example: The maid has done a good job, and the hall is as clean as a whistle
• As soft as velvet Example: I just love my new blanket, it is as soft as velvet!
• As sharp as a razor Example: Despite being over 75 years of age, my grandmother’s mind is as sharp as a razor.
• As white as snow Example: The clothes she wore were as white as snow.
• As white as a ghost Example: Her face became as white as a ghost when she spotted the burglar in her house.
• As fresh as a daisy Example: You still look as fresh as a daisy after finishing all the work!
• As stiff as a board Example: I am sure that he is very nervous, he is standing as stiff as a board on the stage.
• As proud as a peacock Example: She is as proud as a peacock after getting selected for the lead role in the drama.
• As gentle as a lamb Example: My grandmother may seem scary to others, but she is as gentle as a lamb.
• As bright as a button Example: She seems to be as bright as a button!
• As strong as an ox Example: Although he has lost some weight, he is still as strong as an ox.
• As hot as hell Example: How can you bear to go out in this weather? It is as hot as hell!
• As tough as leather Example: My brother can help you move all this furniture, he is as tough as leather!
• As bright as the moon Example: Her eyes shined as bright as the moon on receiving her birthday gift.
• As thin as a rake Example: How can you eat so much and still be as thin as a rake?
• As wise as an owl Example: This problem seems tough! You can only solve this if you are as wise as an owl!

Have fun with these examples of similes, and explore our exclusive blog on 50 Common Difficult Idioms with Examples !

• As clear as crystal Example: She loved visiting the lake high up in the mountains, whose water was as clear as crystal.
• As smooth as silk Example: Her voice is as smooth as silk.
• As stubborn as a mule Example: It’s no use trying to change his mind, that man is as stubborn as a mule.
• As silent as the grave Example: He knew something was wrong when he found his friends as silent as the grave.
• As light as a feather Example: This shawl is made from very fine material, it’s as light as a feather!
• As old as the hills Example: Her grandmother’s love story was as old as the hills.
• As straight as an arrow Example: You can trust him, he is as straight as an arrow.

You can use similes in everyday language and that makes you look as smart as a fox! You saw what we did there? Now let’s see all the similes that you can use in your everyday life.

• As innocent as a lamb
• As tough as nails
• As shiny as a new pin
• As hot as hell
• As white as a ghost
• As bright as a button
• As cool as a cucumber
• As cold as ice
• As light as a feather
• As sweet as sugar
• As blind as a bat
• As common as dirt
• As tall as a giraffe
• As hard as nails
• As cute as a kitten
• As bold as brass
• As happy as a clam
• As black as coal
• As American as apple pie.
• As big as an elephant.
• As black as coal.
• As blind as a bat.
• As boring as watching paint dry.
• As brave as a lion.
• As busy as a bee.
• As cunning as a fox
• As dead as a doornail
• As deaf as a post
• As difficult as nailing jelly to a tree
• As dry as a bone
• As dull as dishwater
• As easy as ABC
• As old as the hills
• As pale as death
• As for fit as a fiddle
• As flat as a pancake
• As free as a bird
• As fresh as a daisy
• As gentle as a lamb
• As good as gold
• As heavy as lead
• As helpless as a baby
• As honest as the day is long
• As hot as blue blazes
• As hungry as a bear
• As cheap as dirt.
• As clean as a whistle.
• As clear as mud.
• As clear as crystal.

• As boring as watching paint dry
• As busy as a bee
• As clean as a whistle
• As sick as a dog
• As silent as the grave
• As slippery as an eel
• As slow as molasses
• As smooth as a baby’s bottom
• As snug as a bug in a rug
• As solid as the ground we stand on
• As sour as vinegar
• As stiff as a board
• As straight as an arrow
• The breeze was gentle like a butterfly.
• She danced lightly, like a fluttering butterfly.
• You are as pale as a white sheet.
• Your hands are as cold as the Arctic.
• His mind is like an encyclopedia.
• It was as light as a penny.
• He soared like an eagle.
• It was damp like dew in the morning.
• He was as lost as a sheep.
• She worked as hard as an ant gathering his harvest.
• She was as prickly as a cactus.
• The puppy wagged his tail like a toddler who just got a lollipop.
• The children were as happy as a hog with fresh mud.
• The burglar looked as sketchy as jelly with green fuzz on top.
• As American as apple pie
• Her teeth were as white as pearls.
• She moved as gracefully as a prima ballerina.
• They ran around, going this way and that, like leaves on a blustery day.

Literature has some of the best usages of similes. From Virginia Woolf to Shakespeare, every famous writer and poet has used similes to accessorize their literature. Let’s check out some of the best examples of similes in Classic Literature: 

• “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn.”- Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
• f reach.” — Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
• “Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• “The water made a sound like kittens lapping.” — The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
• Or fester like a sore— And then run?”— Harlem by Langston Hughes 

Many song lyrics have used similes in their lyrics to enhance them. Let’s check them out:

• “Hit me like a ray of sun, Burning through my darkest night”- Halo by Beyonce
• “Questions of science, science, and progress
• Do not speak as loud as my heart”- The Scientist by Coldplay
• “Shine bright like a diamond
• Find light in the beautiful sea
• I choose to be happy”- Diamonds by Rihanna
• “If all it’s gonna cause is pain
• Truth and my lies right now are falling like rain
• So let the river run”- River by Eminem
• “I see both sides like Chanel
• See on both sides like Chanel”- Chanel by Frank Ocean
• ” Body Like a Back Road” By Sam Hunt

Similes have often been utilized in popular advertisements and memorable brand slogans. Take a look at a couple of old favourites. 

• State Farm Insurance – “Like a good neighbour” 
• Doritos Snack Chips – “Taste like awesome feels”
• Chevrolet Trucks – “Like a rock” 
• Honda Cars – “The Honda’s ride is as smooth as a gazelle in the Sahara. Its comfort is like a hug from Nana.”
• Almonds Joy/Mounds Candy – “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” 

Similes are a terrific way to spice up regular writing by conjuring up a vivid image with only a few words. Consider the following sentences:

• Adam walked across the room with purpose. 
• Adam moved across the room like a warship sailing into battle.

The first sentence is fairly uninteresting. The comparison in the second phase, on the other hand, allows the reader to imagine an old-fashioned vessel heading to battle: majestic, resolute, proud, and maybe dangerous. It portrays Adam as a commanding figure and suggests that once he gets to the other side of the room, he’ll be plotting something major.

The below-mentioned examples of similes all follow the “as___as” format: 

• She was as sly as a fox 
• That knife is as sharp as a razor
• He’s as sick as a dog 
• It was as big as an elephant 
• He is as bright as a button
• She’s as cold as ice
• It’s as tough as an old boot
• He’s as good as gold
• It’s as dry as a bone out there
• The car is as clean as a whistle

Written under are the examples of similes using the “__like__” format: 

• She eats like a pig 
• She ran like lightning 
• He looks like a fish out of water
• She slept like a log 
• It was soft like velvet 
• Life is like a box of chocolates
• It leaked like a sieve
• It cuts like butter
• The aeroplane soared like an eagle
• The shark had teeth like razors

The questions where one has to identify whether the given sentence is a simile or a metaphor are the trickiest. Thus, while understanding or going through the examples of similes, it is important to understand the difference between similes and metaphors. The latest understanding of the difference between the two- 

Venue comparison is made using connecting words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’ when the sentence refers to a simile. Whereas, whenever a direct relationship is established between two things, the sentence is a metaphor in nature.

For Example:

• He seemed bright like the sun when I met him last. 
• He is the son and the sun of the family. 

The first sentence depicts the use of simile whereas the second one is a metaphor. 

Metaphors are considered to be stronger because they directly cite a comparison between things rather than just indicating that they are similar. On the other hand, similes are majorly used for comparison where the readers are assisted in understanding a subtle connection between things.

Hyperbole, or exaggeration, is frequently used in similes. Example:

• You are as sweet as honey. 
• You dance like an angel 

Similes concentrate on a single component of a comparison, preventing hyperbolic comments from sounding exaggerated. Consider the following sentences:

• Lara is a mean snake.
• Lara is as mean as a snake.

The first version is a metaphor, but it’s so straightforward that it comes across as sloppy or infantile. The second version, a simile, stresses the trait Lora has in common with a snake, namely, meanness. Figurative language is a great approach to spice up your writing by adding intrigue and images. So, the next time you’re having trouble coming up with the proper words for a description, consider using a simile that’s as flawless as a diamond.

Read more about Present Indefinite Tense Here

• Jesse is as sly as a :

A. snake B. fly C. fox D. elephant

• My grandmother is as sweet as :

A. vinegar B. potatoes C. a carrot D. strawberry jam

• That sidewalk is as slippery as :

A. a pancake B. glass C. sand D. bark

• When school let out for the summer, I felt as free as a :

A. bird B. prisoner C. dollar D. bicycle

• That fence is as solid as :

A. a pillow B. a rock C. fog D. an open window

• Amber can run as fast as :

A. the wind B. an elephant C. a turtle D. a snowstorm

• The road went off into the distance as straight as :

A. a bowling ball B. a cyclone C. a figure-eight D. an arrow

• My mouth was as dry as :

A. an ice cube B. a shower C. dust D. a river

• The night was as black as :

A. snow B. a sunset C. coal D. a flower

• My grandfather’s mind is still as sharp as :

A. an eraser B. a dull knife C. a tack D. a pillow

For those who require more in-depth assistance, a US  assignment writing service  can provide further guidance and support in understanding and applying literary devices like similes.

The main purpose of a simile, which is a figure of speech, is to compare two or more things that have a similar quality. It compares things using words like “like” or “as.”

A simile is described as “a term or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words like or as” in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. A simile is described as “a term comparing one thing with another, always incorporating the words as or like” by the Cambridge Dictionary. According to the Collins Dictionary, a simile is an expression that describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else. A simile is “a figure of speech comparing two, unlike things that are often introduced by like or as,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

A simile is a straightforward comparison of two like or disparate items. A simile aids the reader or listener in seeing, comprehending, and developing a better understanding of the characteristics of the words being compared. It becomes much more vivid and detailed as a result. In other words, similes may be utilised to help your reader or listener form an image in their mind.

Hope you found this blog on the definition and examples of similes interesting and useful. Preparing for competitive exams like TOEFL or IELTS? Give a boost to your preparation by joining Leverage Live classes, where you can access live interactive sessions by top experts along with the best study material and exclusive doubt clearance sessions that will enable you to ace your exam and get your dream score. Register for a demo session with us today! Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.

Digvijay Singh

Having 2+ years of experience in educational content writing, withholding a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Science and a strong interest in writing educational content for students enrolled in domestic and foreign study abroad programmes. I believe in offering a distinct viewpoint to the table, to help students deal with the complexities of both domestic and foreign educational systems. Through engaging storytelling and insightful analysis, I aim to inspire my readers to embark on their educational journeys, whether abroad or at home, and to make the most of every learning opportunity that comes their way.

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A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, using ‘like’ or ‘as’ .

Peas in a pod

• In this phrase, you are suggesting the boys are like these peas because they are very similar. They might spend a lot of their time together, enjoy doing the same things, behave in the same way, etc.

Tough as nails

• In this phrase, you are comparing the boy’s toughness with the toughness of nails.

Black as coal

• In this phrase, you are comparing the darkness of the sky to the darkness of black coal.

Fierce as a lion

• In this phrase, you are comparing the anger and aggression of the lion with the anger and aggression of the man you are describing.

Tips for Using Similes

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, using ‘like’ or ‘as’ . You are comparing the qualities of the two things you are comparing.

Think about the qualities

• Focus on the qualities of the things you are comparing – what kind of picture are you trying to paint? Are you trying to say that something/someone is strong, weak, happy, sad, etc.?

Think of something to compare

• Once you have figured out what kind of comparison you want to make, then think of something you can compare it to – something which clearly has that quality.
• For example, if I want to describe something as being ‘smooth’ , I might think about the smooth surface of a calm sea. Then my simile might be: ‘It was as smooth as the silky sea on a calm day’ .

Avoid unclear references

• Remember that your comparisons must be clear to anyone who reads them – there’s no point telling us: ‘The siren was as loud as Tom’ because most people won’t know who you’re talking about. Make your references well-known.
• For example, ‘the siren was as loud as an excited football fan watching the final match’ .
• In the example, most people will understand what we mean because they will have seen an excited football fan (if only on the television).

Avoid clichés

• Finally, avoid clichés.
• Yes, you could describe something as being ‘as fast as a cheetah’ , but that’s been used so many times and just isn’t interesting anymore.
• Instead, avoid the easy option and try to think outside the box. For example, ‘as fast as a boulder rolling down a mountain’ .

1 Key Terms

1.1 Key Terms

1.1.1 Key Terms - Nouns, Verbs & Sentence Types

1.1.2 Key Terms - Words, Sounds & Language

1.1.3 Key Terms - Images, Symbols & Mood

1.1.4 Key Terms - Other Techniques

1.1.5 End of Topic Test - Key Terms

2 Language Techniques

2.1 Language Devices

2.1.1 Metaphors

2.1.2 Similes

2.1.3 Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning

2.1.4 Personification

2.1.5 Pathetic Fallacy

2.1.7 Oxymoron

2.1.8 Hyperbole

2.1.9 Alliteration

2.1.10 Sibilance

2.1.11 Onomatopoeia

2.1.12 Emotive Language

2.1.13 All Language Devices

2.1.14 End of Topic Test - Language Devices

2.2 Writing Structure

2.2.1 Narrators

2.2.2 Paragraphs

2.2.3 Tense

2.2.4 Present vs Past vs Future

2.2.5 Foreshadowing

2.2.6 Structure

2.2.7 End of Topic Test - Writing Structure

3 Paper 1: Reading

3.1 Structuring Your Answer - Section A

3.1.1 Overview - Section A

3.1.2 Answering Question 1

3.1.3 Answering Question 2

3.1.4 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

3.1.5 Answering Question 3

3.1.6 Answering Question 4

3.1.7 End of Topic Test - Section A

3.1.8 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

4 Paper 1: Writing

4.1 Structuring Your Answer

4.1.1 Overview - Section B

4.1.2 Answering Section B

4.1.3 Answering Section B - Checklist of Techniques

4.1.4 End of Topic Test - Writing Section

4.1.5 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Writing

5 Paper 2: Reading

5.1 DAFORESTER

5.1.1 Direct Address

5.1.2 Alliteration

5.1.3 Facts

5.1.4 Opinions

5.1.5 Repetition

5.1.6 Exaggeration (Hyperbole)

5.1.7 Statistics

5.1.8 Triples (Rule of 3)

5.1.9 Emotive Language

5.1.10 Rhetorical Questions

5.1.11 End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER

5.2 Structuring Your Answer

5.2.1 Overview - Section A

5.2.2 Answering Question 1

5.2.3 Answering Question 2

5.2.4 Answering Question 3

5.2.5 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

5.2.6 Answering Question 4

5.2.7 End of Topic Test - Section A

5.2.8 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

6 Paper 2: Writing

6.1 Structuring Your Answer

6.1.1 Overview - Section B

6.1.2 Answering Section B - Punctuation & Plans

6.2 Types of Writing

6.2.1 Article

6.2.2 Essay

6.2.3 Leaflet

6.2.4 Letter

6.2.5 Speech

6.2.6 Review

6.2.7 Travel Writing

6.2.8 Diaries & Journals

6.2.9 End of Topic Test - Types of Writing

6.3 Writing to...

6.3.1 Writing to Inform

6.3.2 Writing to Inform - Example

6.3.3 Writing to Explain

6.3.4 Writing to Explain - Example

6.3.5 Writing to Persuade

6.3.6 Writing to Persuade - Example

6.3.7 Writing to Argue

6.3.8 Writing to Argue - Example

6.3.9 Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue

6.3.10 Writing to Advise

6.3.11 Writing to Advise - Example

6.3.12 End of Topic Test - Writing to...

6.3.13 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Writing

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Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning

Metaphor vs. Simile: What’s the Difference? (+ Examples)

Table of contents

Zeniya Cooley

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that compare two unlike things. You’ve probably encountered countless examples across film, literature, advertising, and even everyday conversation.

But just like two different shades of the same color, the difference between a metaphor and simile is subtle. You might not be able to tell them apart at first.

Luckily, as a journalist and professional writer with a knack for grammar, I know all the best tricks for doing just that.

In this article, I’ll define and provide examples of both and show you how you can start using metaphors and similes to make your writing stronger and more engaging.

What’s a metaphor?

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”  

On a sentence level, metaphors help readers understand complex ideas by equating them with something familiar — like equating the hurtful effect of words to a knife in the metaphor, “Her insult was a dagger to my heart.”

Metaphors can also be used more broadly as a symbol . For example, many artistic works serve as metaphors for a larger societal issue, like racism in the psychological horror film Get Out.   

Examples of metaphors

Check out the following examples to see metaphors in action:  

“Baby, you're a firework / Come on, let your colors burst.” — “Firework” by Katy Perry

Explanation : By directly comparing the listener to a firework, Perry conveys that they display the same dazzling brilliance and awe-inspiring beauty. 

“A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.” — Titanic  

Explanation : This quote uses emotional language to show that a woman’s feelings are oceanic: vast, mysterious, and containing more than what the surface suggests. 

What’s a simile?

A simile is a figure of speech that indirectly compares two unlike things using “like” or “as.” It’s also a type of metaphor. (However, although all similes are metaphors, not all metaphors are similes.)  

Additionally, similes can emphasize qualities by likening one thing to a common object that shares and embodies a specific characteristic. 

For instance, saying that “news of her marriage spread like wildfire” likens the quickness of traveling news to the swiftness of spreading fire. 

You can use similes to add color and texture to your descriptions of people or characters, places, and things. For example, you might say a hot-tempered individual is “as explosive as a firecracker” or that a city’s skyscrapers “towered over residents like glass giants.” 

Examples of similes

Here are a couple more examples of similes:

In fiction:

‍ “His smile was as stiff as a frozen fish.” — Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep

Explanation : Comparing the character’s smile to a frozen fish lets readers know that the character’s expression is rigid.

In advertising :

“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” — State Farm commercial 

Explanation : This simile invites the audience to trust and depend on State Farm, an insurance company, like they do their neighbors. 

What’s the difference between a metaphor and simile? 

The main difference is that similes use “like” or “as” and metaphors don’t. 

However, not all sentences that use “like” or “as” are similes . You have to compare two things first. 

For example:

❌ “She ran for cover as the rain fell”

This doesn’t qualify as a simile because the sentence doesn’t use “as” to make a comparison. The use of “as” here indicates that two things happened simultaneously: the person ran, and the rain fell. 

✅ “She ran like the wind as the rain fell”

This sentence does make a comparison. It uses “like” to compare the person’s running to the wind — both being speedy.

Metaphors and similes also differ in function. 

People commonly use metaphors to make an abstract idea more concrete . Consider the phrase, “Your body is a temple.” It makes the idea that people should properly care for their bodies more understandable by comparing it to something people consider sacred.

Meanwhile, similes are more decorative . When used sparingly, they can elevate your descriptions and make your writing more engaging by drawing unique comparisons. For example, saying a ballerina “flitted across the stage like a fairy” enchants the reader more than simply saying the ballerina “danced across the stage.” 

Though they have differences, both metaphors and similes can enrich your writing and help you develop a distinct writing style . 

How to tell the difference between a metaphor and simile 

Read our tips below to help you distinguish between metaphors and similes.

Tip #1 - Study the structure 

Metaphors employ an “X is Y” structure, while similes follow an “X is like Y” or “X is as [adjective] as Y” pattern. 

In other words, metaphors say that one thing is something else, and similes say that one thing is like something else. 

To illustrate: 

Metaphor : Time is a thief. 

‍ Simile : Time is like a thief.

Tip #2 - Check for substitution 

Metaphors often substitute, or replace, one thing for another to show that those things are equivalent. Similes, however, use connecting words to suggest a similarity between two things. 

For example: 

Metaphor : The new grad’s life was a blank canvas . (Substitution)

In this example, the metaphor substitutes “the new grad’s life” for a “blank canvas” to show that they’re similar.

Now, let’s look at the same sentence rewritten as a simile: 

Simile : The new grad’s life was like a blank canvas. (No substitution) 

Without substitution, the simile indicates that the two objects are like each other, but they’re not an exact replacement for each other. 

Tip #3 - Look for explicit vs. implicit comparisons 

Similes draw a weaker connection between two different objects than metaphors, but their comparisons are often more explicit or obvious. Consider the following example: 

‍ Simile : Like a snake, the con artist slithered toward the unsuspecting tourist.

In this example, the simile explicitly likens the con artist to a snake. 

Metaphors, on the other hand, can be more implied. This means that metaphors sometimes make a comparison without directly stating it. That’s the case here:

Metaphor : The con artist slithered toward the unsuspecting tourist.

The metaphor doesn’t directly say the con artist is a snake. Instead, the metaphor suggests this through “slithered,” making readers think of snakes. 

When to use a metaphor vs. simile

Now that you know the differences between metaphors and similes, let’s discuss when to use them in your writing. 

You’ll want to use a metaphor if you’re aiming for either of three qualities:

• Strength . Metaphors make a stronger comparison because they equate one object with another. This allows you to compare things confidently instead of just noting their likeness. For example: “Grief is a thunderstorm — a rumble of anger mixed with a downpour of tears.”
• Scope . Metaphors can span many sentences or run the length of a book, film, or other work. You can use them as a unifying motif that connects various elements of your story or argument. For example, in a short story, you might use a building’s structure as a metaphor for a family’s dynamic: the foundation is their history, the floors are the different family members and roles, and the roof represents their shared values.
• Subtlety . Metaphors can also be more subtle and nuanced than similes because they hint at deeper ideas without stating them directly. Think about one of William Shakespeare’s famous lines: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Comparing the world to a stage encourages the reader to see people as actors performing the roles they hold in their lives. 

Conversely, you should use a simile if you want to achieve either of two goals: 

• Efficiency. Similes occur at the sentence level, meaning they don’t go beyond a single sentence. This means you can get your point across quickly. For instance, say you want to make a quick, uncomplicated comparison between a baby and a blowfish. Similes would be great for this. You might write, “The baby’s cheeks were as big as a blowfish’s.” 
• Clarity. Because similes are straightforward, readers can more easily understand the comparison being made. For example, the simile “her eyes were as bright as stars” clearly outlines what’s being compared (her eyes and the stars) and the specific point of comparison (their shared brightness). 

When to avoid metaphors and similes

As a rule of thumb, avoid using metaphors and similes when they create confusion .

Let’s say you’re describing a character’s pounding heart, but you compare the sound to skittering insects — e.g., “The beating of his heart sounded like scurrying cockroaches.” This puzzles the reader because they expect a pounding heart to be compared to something else that beats loudly, like the sound of a drum.

Additionally, avoid metaphors and similes if they’re clichéd . For instance, saying that a nice person is “as sweet as a peach” doesn’t captivate the reader because the simile lacks originality.

Instead, practice creating original expressions by doing writing exercises such as crafting metaphor lists and responding to writing prompts.

AI tip : Wordtune’s Editor can help you rewrite your metaphors and similes to convey ideas more effectively.

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Distinguishing between metaphors and similes can be challenging, but with this guide, you can spot the differences many people miss. 

Remember that metaphors directly compare two things, while similes use connecting words to indirectly compare two things. 

You can use a metaphor to clarify a complex idea or add subtlety to your comparison. Conversely, a simile is handy when you want to enhance your descriptions. Both can help readers better understand the idea you’re trying to convey, so try them out in your writing!

For more writing tips, check out our articles on the best writing books and how to master grammar and punctuation . 

What are similes and metaphors called?

Similes and metaphors are types of figurative language. They use words in creative, nonliteral ways to convey a meaning or message — specifically to compare two unlike things.

What’s the difference between a simile and an analogy?

A simile compares two things using “like" or “as”' to evoke an image or highlight a shared quality — e.g., “The teacher watched the students like a hawk.”  

Meanwhile, an analogy likens one thing to another to make a broader point. For example: “Life is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get.”

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Last updated on Feb 11, 2022

90+ Must-Know Metaphor Examples to Improve Your Prose

What figure of speech is so meta that it forms the very basis of riddles? The answer: a metaphor.

As Milan Kundera wrote in The Unbearable Lightness of Being : “Metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with.” Yet, paradoxically, they are an inescapable part of our daily lives — which is why it’s all the more important to understand exactly how they function.

To help, this article has a list of 97 metaphor examples to show you what they look like in the wild. But if you have a moment to spare, let's learn a bit more about what a metaphor is.

What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is a literary device that imaginatively draws a comparison between two unlike things. It does this by stating that Thing A is Thing B. Through this method of equation, metaphors can help explain concepts and ideas by colorfully linking the unknown to the known; the abstract to the concrete; the incomprehensible to the comprehensible. It can also be a rhetorical device that specifically appeals to our sensibilities as readers.

To give you a starting point, here are some examples of common metaphors:

• “Bill is an early bird.”
• “Life is a highway.”
• “Her eyes were diamonds.”

Note that metaphors are always non-literal. As much as you might like to greet your significant other with a warhammer in hand (“love is a battlefield”) or bring 50 tanks of gasoline every time you go on a date (“love is a journey”), that’s not likely to happen in reality. Another spoiler alert: no, Katy Perry doesn't literally think that you're a firework. Rather, these are all instances of metaphors in action.

How does a metaphor differ from a simile?

Simile and metaphor are both figures of speech that draw resemblances between two things. However, the devil’s in the details. Unlike metaphors, similes use like and as to directly create the comparison. “Life is like a box of chocolates,” for instance, is a simile. But if you say, “Life is a highway,” you’re putting a metaphor in motion.

The best way to understand how a metaphor can be used is to see it in practice — luckily, we’ve got a bucket-load of metaphor examples handy for you to peruse.

The Ultimate List of 90+ Metaphor Examples

Metaphors penetrate the entire spectrum of our existence — so we turned to many mediums to dig them up, from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the Backstreet Boys’ ancient discography. Feel free to skip to your section of interest below for metaphor examples.

Literature Poetry Daily Expressions Songs Films Famous Quotations

Metaphors in literature are drops of water: as essential as they are ubiquitous. Writers use literary metaphors to evoke an emotional response or paint a vivid picture. Other times, a metaphor might explain a phenomenon. Given the amount of nuance that goes into it, a metaphor example in a text can sometimes deserve as much interpretation as the text itself.

Metaphors can make prose more muscular or imagery more vivid:

1. “Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet holes.” ― If Then , Matthew De Abaitua

2. “But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.” ― Rabbit, Run , John Updike

3. “The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid near and nearer the sill of the world.” — Lord of the Flies , William Golding

4. “Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus. Currently I was in ring two hundred and ninety-nine, with elephants dancing and clowns cart wheeling and tigers leaping through rings of fire. The time had come to step back, leave the main tent, go buy some popcorn and a Coke, bliss out, cool down.” — Seize the Night ,   Dean Koontz

Writers frequently turn to metaphors to describe people in unexpected ways:

5. “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!” — Romeo & Juliet , William Shakespeare

6. “Who had they been, all these mothers and sisters and wives? What were they now? Moons, blank and faceless, gleaming with borrowed light, each spinning loyally around a bigger sphere.  ‘Invisible,’ said Faith under her breath. Women and girls were so often unseen, forgotten, afterthoughts. Faith herself had used it to good effect, hiding in plain sight and living a double life. But she had been blinded by exactly the same invisibility-of-the-mind, and was only just realizing it.” ― The Lie Tree , Frances Hardinge

7. “’I am a shark, Cassie,’ he says slowly, drawing the words out, as if he might be speaking to me for the last time. Looking into my eyes with tears in his, as if he's seeing me for the last time. "A shark who dreamed he was a man.’” ― The Last Star , Rick Yancey

8. “Her mouth was a fountain of delight.” — The Storm , Kate Chopin

9. “The parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away.” — Matilda , Roald Dahl

10. “Mr. Neck storms into class, a bull chasing thirty-three red flags." — Speak , Laurie Anderson

11. “’Well, you keep away from her, cause she’s a rattrap if I ever seen one.’” — Of Mice and Men , John Steinbeck

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Metaphors can help “visualize” a situation or put an event in context:

12. “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” —Isaiah 64:8

13. “He could hear Beatty's voice. ‘Sit down, Montag. Watch. Delicately, like the petals of a flower. Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly. Beautiful, eh? Light the third page from the second and so on, chainsmoking, chapter by chapter, all the silly things the words mean, all the false promises, all the second-hand notions and time-worn philosophies.’” — Fahrenheit 451 , Ray Bradbury

To entertain and tickle the brain, metaphor examples sometimes compare two extremely unlike things:

14. “Delia was an overbearing cake with condescending frosting, and frankly, I was on a diet.” ― Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception , Maggie Stiefvater

15. "The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed: It was past eight thirty and still light.” — Fault in Our Stars , John Green

16. “If wits were pins, the man would be a veritable hedgehog.” ― Fly by Night , Frances Hardinge

17. “What's this?" he inquired, none too pleasantly. "A circus?" "No, Julius. It's the end of the circus." "I see. And these are the clowns?" Foaly's head poked through the doorway. "Pardon me for interrupting your extended circus metaphor, but what the hell is that?” ― Artemis Fowl , Eoin Colfer

18. “Using a metaphor in front of a man as unimaginative as Ridcully was the same as putting a red flag to a bu — the same as putting something very annoying in front of someone who was annoyed by it.” ― Lords and Ladies , Terry Pratchett

Metaphors can help frame abstract concepts in ways that readers can easily grasp:

19. “My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” — Fault In Our Stars , John Green

20. “If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me.” — Macbeth , William Shakespeare

21. “Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.” ― Kill the Dead , Richard Kadrey

22. “Wishes are thorns, he told himself sharply. They do us no good, just stick into our skin and hurt us.” ― A Face Like Glass , Frances Hardinge

23. “’Life' wrote a friend of mine, 'is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along.” ― A Room with a View , E.M. Forster

24. “There was an invisible necklace of nows, stretching out in front of her along the crazy, twisting road, each bead a golden second.” ― Cuckoo Song , Frances Hardinge

25. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” — As You Like It , William Shakespeare

Particularly prominent in the realm of poetry is the extended metaphor: a single metaphor that extends throughout all or part of a piece of work . Also known as a conceit , it is used by poets to develop an idea or concept in great detail over the length of a poem. (And we have some metaphor examples for you below.)

If you’d like to get a sense of the indispensable role that metaphors play in poetry, look no further than what Robert Frost once said: “They are having night schools now, you know, for college graduates. Why? Because they don’t know when they are being fooled by a metaphor. Education by poetry is education by metaphor.”

Poets use metaphors directly in the text to explain emotions and opinions:

26. She must make him happy. She must be his favorite place in Minneapolis. You are a souvenir shop, where he goes to remember how much people miss him when he is gone. —“ Unrequited Love Poem ,” Sierra DeMulder

27. She is all states, and all princes, I. Nothing else is. Princes do but play us; compared to this, All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy. —“ The Sun Rising ,” John Donne

28. I watched a girl in a sundress kiss another girl on a park bench, and just as the sunlight spilled perfectly onto both of their hair, I thought to myself: How bravely beautiful it is, that sometimes, the sea wants the city, even when it has been told its entire life it was meant for the shore. —“I Watched A Girl In A Sundress,” Christopher Poindexter

Extended metaphors in particular explore and advance major themes in poems:

29. All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind. Thinking is always the stumbling stone to poetry. A great singer is he who sings our silences. How can you sing if your mouth be filled with food? How shall your hand be raised in blessing if it is filled with gold? They say the nightingale pierces his bosom with a thorn when he sings his love song. —“ Sand and Foam ,” Khalil Gibran

30. But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage / Can seldom see through his bars of rage / His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. —“ Caged Bird ,” Maya Angelou

31. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by / And that has made all the difference. —“ The Road Not Taken ,” Robert Frost

32. Marriage is not a house or even a tent it is before that, and colder: the edge of the forest, the edge of the desert the edge of the receding glacier where painfully and with wonder at having survived even this far we are learning to make fire —“ Habitation ,” Margaret Atwood

33. These poems do not live: it's a sad diagnosis. They grew their toes and fingers well enough, Their little foreheads bulged with concentration. If they missed out on walking about like people It wasn't for any lack of mother-love. —“ Stillborn ,” Sylvia Plath

34. Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul / And sings the tune without the words / And never stops at all. —“ Hope Is The Thing With Feathers ,” Emily Dickinson

Daily Expressions

Here’s some food for thought (35): you’ve probably already used a metaphor (or more) in your daily speech today without even realizing it. Metaphorical expressions pepper the English language by helping us illustrate and pinpoint exactly what we want to say. As a result, metaphors are everywhere in our common vocabulary: you may even be drowning in a sea (36) of them as we speak. But let’s cut to our list of metaphor examples before we jump the shark (37).

38. Love is a battlefield.

39. You’ve given me something to chew on.

40. He’s just blowing off steam.

41. That is music to my ears.

42. Love is a fine wine.

43. She’s a thorn in my side.

44. You are the light in my life.

45. He has the heart of a lion.

46. Am I talking to a brick wall?

47. He has ants in his pants.

48. Beauty is a fading flower.

49. She has a heart of stone.

50. Fear is a beast that feeds on attention.

51. Life is a journey.

52. He’s a late bloomer.

53. He is a lame duck now.

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Metaphors are a must-have tool in every lyricist’s toolkit. From Elvis to Beyonce, songwriters use them to instinctively connect listeners to imagery and paint a visual for them. Most of the time, they find new ways to describe people, love — and, of course, break-ups. So if you’re thinking, “This is so sad Alexa play Titanium,” right now, you’re in the right place: here’s a look at some metaphor examples in songs.

54. You ain't nothin' but a hound dog / Cryin' all the time —“Hound Dog,” Elvis Presley

55. You're a fallen star / You're the getaway car / You're the line in the sand / When I go too far / You're the swimming pool / On an August day / And you're the perfect thing to say — “Everything,” Michael Buble

56. 'Cause baby you're a firework / Come on show 'em what your worth / Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!" / As you shoot across the sky-y-y — “Firework,” Katy Perry

57. I'm bulletproof nothing to lose / Fire away, fire away / Ricochet, you take your aim / Fire away, fire away / You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium —“Titanium,” David Guetta

58. Life is a highway / I wanna ride it all night long / If you're going my way / I wanna drive it all night long —“Life Is A Highway,” Rascal Flatts

59. She's a Saturn with a sunroof / With her brown hair a-blowing / She's a soft place to land / And a good feeling knowing / She's a warm conversation —“She’s Everything,” Brad Paisley

60. I'm a marquise diamond / Could even make that Tiffany jealous / You say I give it to you hard / So bad, so bad / Make you never wanna leave / I won't, I won't —“Good For You,’ Selena Gomez

61. Remember those walls I built / Well, baby, they're tumbling down / And they didn't even put up a fight / They didn't even make a sound —“Halo,” Beyonce

62. Did I ever tell you you're my hero? / You're everything, everything I wish I could be / Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle / For you are the wind beneath my wings / 'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings —“Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler

63. You are my fire / The one desire / Believe when I say I want it that way —“I Want It That Way,” Backstreet Boys

64. Your body is a wonderland / Your body is a wonder (I'll use my hands) / Your body is a wonderland —“Your Body Is A Wonderland,” John Mayer

65. I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / And don't it feel good —“I’m Walking On Sunshine,” Katrina and the Waves

66. If you wanna be with me / Baby there's a price to pay / I'm a genie in a bottle / You gotta rub me the right way —“Genie in a Bottle,” Christina Aguilera

67. If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor / Love is the rhythm, you are the music / If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor / You get what you're given it's all how you use it —“God Is A DJ,” P!nk

68. If this town / Is just an apple / Then let me take a bite —“Human Nature,” Michael Jackson

69. I just wanna be part of your symphony / Will you hold me tight and not let go? —“Symphony,” Clean Bandit

70. My heart's a stereo / It beats for you, so listen close / Hear my thoughts in every note —“Stereo Hearts,” Gym Class Heroes

71. I'm the sunshine in your hair / I'm the shadow on the ground / I'm the whisper in the wind / I'm your imaginary friend —“I’m Already There,” Lonestar

Films can add a different angle to the concept of a metaphor: because it’s a visual medium, certain objects on-screen will actually represent whatever the filmmaker intends it to represent. The same principle applies, of course — there’s still a direct comparison being made. It’s just that we can see the metaphor examples with our own eyes now.

Films can visually make clear comparisons between two elements on the screen:

72. “What beautiful blossoms we have this year. But look, this one’s late. I’ll bet that when it blooms it will be the most beautiful of all.” —from  Mulan

73. “Love is an open door Can I say something crazy? Will you marry me? Can I say something even crazier? Yes!” —from  Frozen

Metaphors are used in dialogue for characters to express themselves:

74. “You're television incarnate, Diana. Indifferent to suffering, insensitive to joy.” — Network

75. “Life's a climb. But the view is great.” — Hannah Montana: the Movie

Famous Quotations

Did you know that Plato was using metaphors to express his thoughts all the way back in 427 BC? Since then, some of our greatest minds have continued to turn to metaphors when illuminating ideas in front of the general public — a practice that’s become particularly prominent in political speeches and pithy witticisms. Here’s a sample of some of the ways that famous quotes have incorporated metaphor examples in the past.

76. “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” —Albert Einstein

77. “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” —Benjamin Franklin

78. “America has tossed its cap over the wall of space.” —John F. Kennedy

79. “I don't approve of political jokes; I have seen too many of them get elected.” —Jon Stewart

80. “Conscience is a man’s compass.” —Vincent Van Gogh

81. “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus

82. “Time is the moving image of eternity.” ―Plato

83. “Every human is a school subject. This is rather a metaphorical way of saying it, to put it straight, those you love are few, and the ones you detest are many.” ―Michael Bassey Johnson

84. “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” —Will Rogers

85. “Life is little more than a loan shark: it exacts a very high rate of interest for the few pleasures it concedes.” —Luigi Pirandello

86. “America: in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.  With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.” —Barack Obama

87. “Bolshevism is a ghoul descending from a pile of skulls. It is not a policy; it is a disease. It is not a creed; it is a pestilence.” —Winston Churchill

88. “Books are mirrors of the soul.” —Virginia Woolf

89. “My life has a superb cast, but I can't figure out the plot.” —Ashleigh Brilliant

90. “I feel like we’re all in a super shitty Escape Room with really obvious clues like, ‘vote’ and ‘believe women’ and ‘don’t put children in cages.’” — Natasha Rothwell

91. “I travel the world, and I'm happy to say that America is still the great melting pot — maybe a chunky stew rather than a melting pot at this point, but you know what I mean.” —Philip Glass

92. “Life is a long road on a short journey.” —James Lendall Basford

93. “What therefore is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonymies, anthropomorphisms: in short a sum of human relations which become poetically and rhetorically intensified, metamorphosed, adorned, and after long usage seem to a nation fixed, canonic and binding.” —Nietzsche

94. “Life is a foreign language: all men mispronounce it.” —Christopher Morley

95. “Dying is a wild night and a new road.” —Emily Dickinson

96. “And your very flesh shall be a great poem.” —Walt Whitman

And as a bonus gift, here’s one last metaphor for the road, from one of our brightest philosophers. We’ll let Calvin have the last word:

Did we miss any of your favorite metaphors? Have more metaphor examples for us? Leave them in the (non-metaphorical) box below and we'll add them right in.

6 responses

James Hubbs says:

21/10/2018 – 23:44

Very useful article. Thank you. However, Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury, not George Orwell.

↪️ Reedsy replied:

22/10/2018 – 00:42

Great spot, James! That's now been fixed. Glad that the article was useful :)

Jonboy says:

21/05/2019 – 19:11

That Sylvia Plath quote nailed me. Ouch! Haven't read it but have to now...

21/06/2019 – 17:02

Another metaphor I love is “I’m just like them— an ordinary drone dressed in secrets and lies.” It’s from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

DAVID COWART says:

18/11/2019 – 01:59

life is a highway is Tom Cochrane, not Rascal Flats

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

22/11/2019 – 12:54

Rascal Flatts did a cover of the song. We were deciding between the two and decided that "Rascal Flatts" sounded funnier :D

Comments are currently closed.

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Narrative Essays

Narrative: The spoken or written account of connected events; a story

Narrative Introductions

The introduction of a narrative essay sets the scene for the story that follows. Interesting introductions—for any kind of writing—engage and draw readers in because they want to know more.

Since narratives tell a story and involve events, the introduction of a narrative quite often starts in the middle of the action in order to bring the reader into the story immediately, as shown in examples 1, 3, and 5 below. Other effective introductions briefly provide background for the point of the story—often the lesson learned—as in 4 below and the first example on the reverse side.

Below are some strategies for writing effective openings. Remember your introduction should be interesting and draw your reader in. It should make your audience want to read more. If it's a person , begin with a description of the person and then say why that person mattered. If it's an event , begin with the action or begin by reflecting back on why the event mattered, then go into the narrative.

• "Potter...take off!" my coach yelled as I was cracking yet another joke during practice.
• Why do such a small percentage of high school athletes play Division One sports?
• It was a cold, rainy night, under the lights on the field. I lined up the ball on the penalty line under the wet grass. After glancing up at the tied score, I stared into the goalkeeper's eyes.
• My heart pounds in my chest. My stomach full of nervous butterflies. I hear the crowd talking and names being cheered.
• Slipping the red and white uniform over my head for the first time is a feeling I will never forget.
• "No football." Those words rang in my head for hours as I thought about what a stupid decision I had made three nights before.
• "SNAP!" I heard the startling sound of my left knee before I ever felt the pain.
• According to the NCAA, there are over 400,000 student-athletes in the United States.

Narrative Story

• Unified: Ensure all actions in your story develop a central idea or argument.
• Interesting: Draw your readers into your scene(s), making them feel as if they're experiencing them first-hand.
• Coherent: Indicate changes in time, location, and characters clearly (even if your story is not chronological).
• Climactic: Include a moment (the climax) when your ending is revealed or the importance of events is made clear.
• Remember the 5 W's : Who? What? When? Where? Why?
• Write vividly : Include significant sensory information in the scene (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to make readers feel they are there
• Develop " Thick Descriptions "

Clifford Geertz describes thick descriptions as accounts that include not only facts but also commentary and interpretation . The goal is to vividly describe an action or scene, often through the use of metaphors, analogies, and other forms of interpretation that can emote strong feelings and images in your readers' minds.

"The flatness of the Delta made the shack, the quarters, and the railroad tracks nearby seem like some tabletop model train set. Like many Mississippi shacks, this one looked as if no one had lived there since the birth of the blues. Four sunflowers leaned alongside a sagging porch. When the front door creaked open, cockroaches bigger than pecans scurried for cover [...] walls wept with mildew."

—from Bruce Watson's Freedom Summer

Narrative Checklist

• Does the story have a clear and unifying idea? If not, what could that idea be?
• If the story doesn't include a thesis sentence, is the unifying idea of the story clear without it?
• Is the story unified, with all the details contributing to the central idea?
• Is the story arranged chronologically? If not, is the organization of ideas and events still effective and clear?
• Do the transitions show the movement from idea to idea and scene to scene?
• Are there enough details?
• Is there dialogue at important moments?
• Is there a climax to the story—moment at which the action is resolved or a key idea is revealed?

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

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Welcome to the Purdue OWL

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Literary Analysis Essay

Literary analysis essay generator.

Literary analysis essays offer a deeper understanding and interpretation of literary works, allowing readers to delve into the intricacies of a story, poem, or novel. Whether you’re a student or a literature enthusiast, analyzing literature can be a rewarding experience. In this article, we will explore a collection of 30+ literary analysis essay examples available in Word, Google Docs, and PDF formats. We will also discuss essential elements such as analysis paper outlines , literary devices, short story analysis, literature reviews, theses, analogies, book reviews, context, and conclusions.

1. Literary Analysis Essay Outline Example

• Google Docs

2. Quotation Literary Analysis Essay Example

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3. Printable Literary Analysis Essay Example

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4. Building a Literary Analysis Essay Example

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5. Literary Analysis Essay Score Sheet Example

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6. Sample Literary Analysis Essay Example

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7. Literary Analysis Essay Checklist Example

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8. Literary Analysis Essay Outline Example

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9. Editable Literary Analysis Essay Example

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10. Peer Editing Literary Analysis Essay Example

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11. Professional Literary Analysis Essay Example

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12. Literary Analysis Assessment Outline Essay Example

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13. High School Literary Analysis Essay Example

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14. Evaluation of a Literary Analysis Essay Example

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15. Graphic Organizer Literary Analysis Essay Example

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16. Literary Analysis Essay Structure Example

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17. Literary Analysis Essay Writing Example

18. College Literary Analysis Essay Example

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19. Literary Analysis Essay Rubic Example

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20. Simple Literary Analysis Essay Example

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21. Writing a Literary Analysis Essay Example

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22. Introduction to Literary Analysis Essay Example

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23. Short Story Literary Analysis Essay Example

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24. 8th Grade Literary Analysis Essay Example

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25. Literary Analysis Essay Assignment Example

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26. Literary Analysis Video Essay Example

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27. Student Guide for Literary Analysis Essay Example

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28. MLA Literary Analysis Essay Example

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29. Draft Literary Analysis Essay Example

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30. 9th Grade Literary Analysis Essay Example

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31. Literary Analysis Essay Guide Example

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What is a Literary Analysis Essay?

A literary analysis essay is a critical examination and interpretation of a literary work. It involves analyzing various elements such as plot, characters, themes, and literary devices to uncover deeper meanings and insights. By dissecting the text and exploring its nuances, readers can gain a deeper appreciation for the author’s intentions and the work’s impact. A well-written literary analysis essay provides a comprehensive analysis that goes beyond surface-level observations.

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

Before we dive into the examples, let’s outline the steps involved in writing a literary analysis essay:

Step 1: Choose a literary work:

Select a literary work that you want to analyze. It could be a novel, short story, poem, or play. Ensure that the chosen work is rich in literary elements and offers ample material for analysis.

Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the work:

Read the literary work carefully, taking note of important plot points, characters, themes, and literary devices. Pay attention to the author’s writing style and the overall tone of the work.

Step 3: Develop a thesis statement:

Craft a strong thesis statement that encapsulates your main argument or interpretation of the literary work. Your thesis should be clear, concise, and debatable, providing a roadmap for your analysis.

Step 4: Gather evidence:

Collect evidence from the literary work to support your thesis statement. Look for specific examples, quotes, and literary devices that reinforce your analysis. Take note of the context in which these elements appear.

Step 5: Organize your essay:

Create an analysis paper outline to structure your essay effectively. Divide your essay into introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion . Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of your analysis, supported by evidence.

Step 6: Write your essay:

Start with an engaging introduction that provides background information and introduces your thesis statement. In the body paragraphs, analyze different aspects of the literary work, providing evidence and explanations. Ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs. Conclude your essay by summarizing your main points and reinforcing your thesis .

What are some examples of literary devices?

Literary devices are techniques used by authors to enhance their writing and convey meaning. Examples include metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, and symbolism. For a comprehensive list and explanations, refer to Literary Devices .

Are there any specific examples of short story analysis essays?

You can find examples of short story analysis essays in PDF format here . These examples provide insights into analyzing the elements of a short story effectively.

How does context impact literary analysis?

Context plays a crucial role in literary analysis as it helps readers understand the historical, social, and cultural background in which the literary work was written. It provides insights into the author’s intentions and influences the interpretation of the text.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Analyze the theme of courage in a novel for your Literary Analysis Essay.

Write about the use of symbolism in a short story for your Literary Analysis Essay.