While both similes and metaphors are used to make comparisons, the difference between similes and metaphors comes down to a word. No form of poetry is complete without the use of figures of speech. In English, there are many figures of speech, but the two most commonly used for making the comparison are simile and metaphor. A simile is a figurative statement that uses connecting words. Similes use the words like or as to compare things—“Life is like a box of chocolates.” In contrast, metaphors directly state a comparison—“Love is a battlefield.”
A metaphor is a figure of speech wherein a word or phrase represents an object or idea that is used instead to show the likeness between the two. Here are some examples of similes and metaphors: Life is like a box of chocolates. (Simile) My life is an open book. (Metaphor) That baby is as cute as a button! (Simile) Baby, you’re a firework. (Metaphor)
Dissimilarities between Simile and Metaphor
Simile
- A simile is easy to spot because it will always contain the words ‘like or ‘as’. It’s a great way to suggest emotions or feelings.
- An expression that helps to compare two varied things, using the words as and like, is called a simile.
- In English, a simile refers to a phrase that describes something by making a comparison between items of a different category. These are used to indicate similarities between two different objects and also to exaggerate the quality of something.
- A simile is a figurative statement, wherein two, unlike objects, are compared, by means of words as and like.
- In the case of simile, we make use of connectives such as ‘like’ and ‘as’ to indicate that the subject is similar to something.
- Examples: Raman is as tall as a Giraffe; The man laughs like a donkey; He argues like a lawyer.
Metaphor
- Metaphors are comparisons between people, things, or places. Unlike similes, where you use the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make a comparison, metaphors say that something is something else.
- A metaphor describes someone or something by referring to someone or something else which is the same in a specific way.
- In literature, Metaphor refers to a figure of speech that characterizes a person or object by referring to someone or something possessing similar virtues with that person or object. It helps to describe the person or object in such a manner that is not exactly true but clarifies the idea, by stating one thing is something else.
- a metaphor is a figure of speech which can be a word or phrase for one thing that points out another, to express that they are similar.
- metaphors do not use the connectives as it indicates that the subject is something else.
- Examples: My brother is Doremon; Amir is a live encyclopedia; She was the heroine of the movie.
