simile

[sim-uh-lee] /ˈsɪm ə li/
noun
1.
a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”.
Compare metaphor.
2.
an instance of such a figure of speech or a use of words exemplifying it.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin: image, likeness, comparison, noun use of neuter of similis similar
Can be confused
metaphor, simile.
Examples from the web for simile
  • Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
  • He implies that this level of figurative ornament is a kind of self-censorship by simile.
  • There is more regard for the quaintness and unexpectedness of a simile than for its beauty or fitness.
  • It has done great good there, keeping down the phony simile, the woolly clause.
  • Item will not refer to both a simile and a metaphor.
British Dictionary definitions for simile

simile

/ˈsɪmɪlɪ/
noun
1.
a figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another of a different category, usually introduced by as or like Compare metaphor
Word Origin
C14: from Latin simile something similar, from similis like
Word Origin and History for simile
n.

late 14c., from Latin simile "a like thing; a comparison, likeness, parallel," neuter of similis "like" (see similar). Both things must be mentioned and the comparison directly stated. To Johnson, "A simile, to be perfect, must both illustrate and ennoble the subject."

simile in Culture
simile [(sim-uh-lee)]

A common figure of speech that explicitly compares two things usually considered different. Most similes are introduced by like or as: “The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.” (Compare metaphor.)

Note: Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.