Editing Simile (section)

{{short description|Figure of speech marked by explicit comparison}}
{{distinguish|Smile}}
A '''simile''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|m|əl|i}}) is a type of [[figure of speech]] that directly ''compares'' two things.<ref name="Bedford447">{{Cite book|title=The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms|publisher=Bedford/St. Martins|year=2003|isbn=978-0312259105|edition=2nd|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bedfordglossaryo00murf_2/page/447 447–448]|url=https://archive.org/details/bedfordglossaryo00murf_2/page/447}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Simile|url=http://literaryterms.net/simile/|website=Literary Terms|date=22 June 2015|access-date=6 April 2016|language=en-US}}</ref> Similes are often contrasted with metaphors, where similes necessarily compare two things using words such as "like", "as", while metaphors often create an implicit comparison (i.e. saying something "is" something else). However, there are two schools of thought regarding the relationship between similes and metaphors. The first defines them as opposites, such that a statement cannot be both a simile and a metaphor — if it uses a comparison word such as "like" then it is a simile; if not, it is a metaphor.<ref name="Bedford447" /><ref name="m340MWDictionary">{{cite web |title=Metaphor Definition & Meaning: Simile vs. Metaphor |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphor#note-2 |access-date=4 July 2019 |website=[[Merriam-Webster]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=LitCharts |url=https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/simile}}</ref> The second school considers metaphor to be the broader category, in which similes are a subcategory — according to which every simile is also a metaphor (but not vice-versa).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00mcar/page/652/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Oxford companion to the English language |date=1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-214183-5 |editor-last=McArthur |editor-first=Tom |location=Oxford; New York |pages=653}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=Simile vs. Metaphor: What's the Difference? |url=https://www.grammarly.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-a-simile-and-a-metaphor/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Simile vs. Metaphor: What’s the Difference? {{!}} Grammarly |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Aug 24, 2021 |title=What's the Difference Between Metaphor, Simile, and Analogy? |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/metaphor-similie-and-analogy-differences-and-similarities |access-date=Jul 5, 2024 |website=MasterClass}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Apr 2, 2023 |title=What is a Metaphor — Definition and Examples |url=https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-metaphor-definition/ |access-date=Jul 5, 2024 |website=StudioBinder |publisher=YouTube |at=4:00 mark in the video}}</ref> These two schools reflect differing definitions and usages of the word "metaphor" and regardless of whether it encompasses similes, but both agree that similes always involve a direct comparison word such as "like" or "as".

The word ''simile'' derives from the Latin word ''similis'' ("similar, like"), while ''metaphor'' derives from the Greek word ''metapherein'' ("to transfer").<ref name="m340MWDictionary" /> As in the case of metaphors, the thing that is being compared is called the tenor, and the thing it is being compared to is called the vehicle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://englishlikeanative.co.uk/what-is-a-simile-with-definition-and-examples/|title=What Is A Simile?|website=English Like A Native|access-date=2021-02-21}}</ref>
Author and lexicographer [[Frank J. Wilstach]] compiled a dictionary of similes in 1916, with a second edition in 1924.