What is a Simile?
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
A simile is a figure of speech consisting of a comparison using like or as. Well-chosen ones can be used to enliven writing or as an alternative to description using adjectives, for example. Some refer to a universal, or nearly so, quality or attribute of the object of comparison.
Examples include the following:
As white as snow
As old as the hills
It is also possible for these figures of speech to refer to a characteristic that is possible but not necessary:
As high as a kite
Kites are not always being flown, so they are not always high, but flying is what kites are made for and being "up in the sky" is closely associated with them. Even though they are not quite as obvious, such similes are readily understood.
Similes can also be sarcastic:
As clear as mud.
This is not intended to be understood in a straightforward way; it means, in fact, the opposite of what it says.
Some comparisons expressed this way tend toward the figurative:
As dead as a doornail
has been explained in several different ways: as deriving from the practice of bending back doornails so that they could not be salvaged, or possibly from the use of doornails as early doorknockers, dead to the "abuse" they received as they were knocked. In any case, doornails are not literally dead, having never actually been alive.
Another figurative use is the following:
As dead as a dodo
because, technically, dodos aren’t dead, but extinct.
Alliteration may play a role in these as well, because a pattern can certainly be seen:
As clear as crystal
As dry as dust
As busy as a bee
As proud as a peacock
As pleased as Punch
As large as life
As pretty as a picture
As cool as a cucumber
As dull as dishwater
As hot as hell
As fit as a fiddle
As slow as a snail
Similes start off as fresh, interesting language, but like any other phrase, when too often repeated, they become clichés. Most of the color comparisons and animal comparisons have lost their verve, for example. Instead of brightening up language, they now make it boring. It’s not enough to sprinkle one’s language with these figures of speech to enliven it — it’s also necessary to choose well.
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to LanguageHumanities about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to LanguageHumanities about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.
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![Similes use "as" or "like" to enliven language, such as in the poetic line, "My love is like a red, red rose.".]()
By: margo555Similes use "as" or "like" to enliven language, such as in the poetic line, "My love is like a red, red rose.". -
!["As dead as a dodo" is a figurative form of a simile, since the dodo is extinct, not dead.]()
By: Tesgro Tessieri"As dead as a dodo" is a figurative form of a simile, since the dodo is extinct, not dead. -
!["As cool as a cucumber" is a simile that references the vegetables cold, refreshing nature.]()
By: mates"As cool as a cucumber" is a simile that references the vegetables cold, refreshing nature.
Discussion Comments
simile and metaphors are easy to learn!
Thank you so much. I had a project due tomorrow but i didn't know what a metaphor was! Now I know and thanks to you I probably will get an A+.
the only thing that would improve this website is the mention of simile-cliches. those seem to pop up in most curriculums. Thank you so much for this. My kids needed this help!
thanks for the help. now i know what simile is.
at first i thought it's so hard but now i know that it's just easy to understand. thanks again.
Thank you for your help. it really worked and I understand it as clear as crystal!
this has really helped with my revision! i will come to this website more often and it will remind me of what a simile is. "It's as clear as mud."
i get it! its so simple, my english teacher made it sound so complicated! -TwiLove
So for example, this is a simile: My sister is as fat as a water buffalo.
Oh! Now I get it. A simile is a comparison that uses like or as in the phrase. And it is the opposite of a metaphor! -randomkayla
Oh! So a simile has like or as in it.
What is the effect of the simile used in the following sentence?
"like the angel of death"
opposite of metaphor
Similes are often considered in conjunction with, or perhaps more commonly, confused with, another type of figurative language: metaphors. Similes use like or as while metaphors just describe the thing as if it were something else (e.g., her hair is silk). But if you were to say her hair was _like_ silk, that'd be a simile. To remember, you just have to drill it in your head...simile - like - as....
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