Analogy vs. Metaphor: What’s the Difference?

Have you ever heard someone make a weird comparison and say, “It’s just an analogy”? Or maybe they used a metaphor to make you see a person, place, or idea in a new way.

Analogies and metaphors make appearances in our everyday lives all the time, and certainly in literature. As a writer, you can use them to illuminate a scene or theme for your reader. But are these two literary terms interchangeable? And how can we use them most effectively? Read on for everything you need to know.

What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is a figure of speech which equates two seemingly unrelated objects or ideas. For example, one might say “She was a night owl” or “He had a heart of stone.” In both cases, the phrases aren’t intended to be taken literally; instead, they use creative imagery to communicate something about the subject.

Unlike analogies, metaphors are used to create an emotional response. When we describe someone as being a night owl or having a heart of stone, we get an intuitive sense of what those people are like. You can use this to help your readers connect more deeply with your characters.

Examples of popular metaphors

Here are some examples of famous metaphors you may have encountered:

• The elephant in the room

• This place is a zoo

• Love is a battlefield

• Love is a wasteland

• Life is a highway

• Life is a rollercoaster

• Time is money

• A dime a dozen

• All the world’s a stage

• A wild goose chase

• A rough diamond

• King of the castle

• A fish out of water

In each case, the reader or listener isn’t expected to take the image at its literal face value. Instead, the vivid imagery communicates a broader, deeper idea.

What is an analogy?

An analogy is a figure of speech which makes a direct comparison between two ideas in order to explain something in a creative way. Analogies often contain similes or metaphors, but go a step further by explaining the similarity or the parallels between the two contrasted things.

For example, one of the most famous analogies is “Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get.” The first half, “Life is like a box of chocolates,” is a simile (not a metaphor, because it uses “like” as its connective tissue). The sentence then expands on the simile and explains exactly why it’s applicable. This makes it an analogy.

Examples of popular analogies

Here are some famous examples of analogies that have appeared in popular culture to illustrate a concept or idea.

• I loved you like my first bicycle ride. Before the crash, I could have sworn that we were flying.

• Sleep is like alcohol—you need just the right amount. Too little, and you feel no different. Too much, and you end up regretting it.

• Lying is like entering the labyrinth of the Minotaur: the farther you go, the harder it is to find your way back.

• People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

• Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.

• Some minds are like concrete: thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

• The city was a fish dying on hard pavement, hopelessly gasping for air.

As you can see, analogies aren’t quite as snappy as metaphors. However, they can be a very satisfying way to communicate what you’re trying to say.

For example, “Love is a battlefield” is a metaphor. “Love is a battlefield, because it decimates everything in its path and by the end you can’t remember why you thought it would be worth it” is an (admittedly rather depressing) analogy.

Analogies and metaphors are similar in that they’re both literary devices that use figurative language to draw attention to commonalities between ideas. By using concrete language to express complex ideas, you can create a mental image that brings the ideas to life in the reader’s mind.

Not all metaphors and similes are analogies, but all analogies incorporate metaphors or similes.

How to use analogies and metaphors effectively in creative writing

Ready to incorporate metaphor, simile, and analogy into your own writing? Here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. Start with concrete language

Rather than starting with abstract concepts, you might find it easier to begin with the thing you’re comparing them to.

Instead of looking around the room and saying, “Hmm… what could be an analogy for toxic relationships?”, try picking things out and brainstorming what they might represent. For instance, what does a curling iron remind you of? Or a teapot? Or a chair with bits of varnish peeling off?

That guy is like a curling iron: he makes you look great, but he’ll burn you if you let him get too close.

A kitten is like a teapot—they’re small and unassuming, but they make you feel warm inside.

My wife is an old chair: a bit weathered with age, but as sturdy as ever.

This can be a great warmup exercise to get your mind thinking creatively. Then, you can incorporate some of these analogies into your novel, short story, or poetry.

2. Use all the senses

It’s not uncommon for writers to fall back on visual imagery, because humans are by nature visual creatures—we absorb information through our eyes more than any other sense. Challenge yourself to use the other senses in your creative writing as well.

For example, what could salt become a metaphor for, if it enhances experiences in small amounts but becomes overwhelming in large ones? What about a perfume that smells great on first application, but dissipates over time? Or fabrics that look good in photographs but scratch and irritate the skin?

Consider how things taste, smell, sound, and feel, and how those sensations can be both positive and negative. A great metaphor takes imagination and helps the reader become explicitly aware of how the mental image resonates in their own body.

3. Defy expectation

One of the challenges of using figurative language in your writing is that the most famous metaphors tend to get used over and over (and over and over) in the same way. Some are so common in everyday speech that we barely remember they were metaphors to begin with—for example, calling someone a “night owl,” going on an “emotional rollercoaster,” or taking “a page out of his book.”

To use metaphors and analogies most effectively, either come up with brand new ones that no one has ever seen before or use pre-existing ones in new ways. For example, look at this analogy we mentioned above: “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

How else could someone be like a stained-glass window? Maybe they’re beautiful but have no depth beneath the façade. Maybe a stained-glass window is like a relationship: it takes years to create, an instant to destroy.

If you find yourself falling back on familiar references that other writers have already popularized, look for new approaches that you can take to make your readers see this vivid image in a new light.

Analogies and metaphors give writing new dimension

Analogies and metaphors share a similar purpose: they present two unlike things to illustrate a powerful idea. While metaphors pack an emotional punch and allegories convey a logical conclusion, both offer creative ways to connect with your readers. By keeping them in balance, you can bring your fiction writing to life.