analogy

[uh-nal-uh-jee]

noun

plural

analogies 

1. a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based.

   the analogy between the heart and a pump.

   Synonyms: affinity, similitude, resemblance, likeness, comparison

2. similarity or comparability.

   I see no analogy between your problem and mine.

   Synonyms: correspondence

3. Biology.,  an analogous relationship.

4. Linguistics.

   1. the process by which words or phrases are created or re-formed according to existing patterns in the language, as when shoon was re-formed as shoes, when -ize is added to nouns like winter to form verbs, or when a child says foots for feet.

   2. a form resulting from such a process.

5. Logic.,  a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of the known similarity between the things in other respects.

analogy

/ əˈnælədʒɪ, ˌænəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. agreement or similarity, esp in a certain limited number of features or details

2. a comparison made to show such a similarity

   to draw an analogy between an atom and the solar system

3. biology the relationship between analogous organs or parts

4. logic maths a form of reasoning in which a similarity between two or more things is inferred from a known similarity between them in other respects

5. linguistics imitation of existing models or regular patterns in the formation of words, inflections, etc

   a child may use ``sheeps'' as the plural of ``sheep'' by analogy with ``dog'', ``dogs'', ``cat'', ``cats'', etc

analogy

1. A comparison of two different things that are alike in some way (see metaphor and simile). An analogy attributed to Samuel Johnson is: “Dictionaries are like watches; the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true.”

Other Word Forms

• analogical adjective
• analogically adverb
• analogist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of analogy¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin analogia, from Greek; analogous, -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of analogy¹

C16: from Greek analogia ratio, correspondence, from analogos _analogous

Example Sentences

Football analogies aside, the immediate challenge facing Reeves is the size of the gap in the public finances.

From BBC

"It was the island of lost boys - I'm now 59 and I only just resonate to that analogy."

From BBC

"This is a really dumb analogy and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it. Did you see that movie The Gorge?"

From BBC

He uses the analogy of gambling in a casino: "The more you play, the more you lose."

From BBC

The analogy a lot of people are using is the Munich Conference in 1938, where Great Britain met with Hitler’s Germany.

From Salon

Related Words

• comparison 
• correlation 
• metaphor 
• parallel 

When To Use

What is an analogy?

An analogy is a comparison made to show how two different things are similar, especially in limited ways.An analogy is a technique frequently used in literature to explain something by comparing it to something else (a literary device). There are several types of analogies you can make.A simile directly compares two seemingly unrelated things and then explains what the two items have in common to make a point. Similes often use like or as to make the comparison, as in Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. The analogy says that life, like an unlabeled box of chocolates, is mysterious and full of both pleasant and unpleasant surprises.A metaphor indirectly compares two things, as in He was a wolf among sheep in the boardroom, taking command instantly. Instead of the analogy saying the corporate executive was like a ferocious predator, it says he is a ferocious predator. The analogy makes the point that the man was aggressive and dominated the other people in the room.Analogies are complex and often rely on a reader or listener using logic to figure out what connection the user of the analogy is making.In other areas of study, such as math and science, analogies are used to infer, or to figure out through reason and logic, unknown information. For example, if you know how A is similar to B and how B is similar to C, using reason you can determine how A is similar to C.