Analogy and metaphor are two techniques that people use to explain concepts. Both techniques help us understand what words mean, but they are very different in the way they operate. Analogy is used to describe something by comparing it to some thing or idea. In contrast, metaphor uses the comparison of one thing with another thing.
| Analogy | Metaphor |
| Comparing one thing to another thing | Comparing one thing to another thing that are not similar |
| Mostly use in scientific terms | Mostly use in poetic words |
What Is Analogy?
The word analogy comes from the Greek word análupis, which means ‘to imitate’. This means that the analogy explains something by comparing it to something else. For example, the metaphor “Bicycle is like a car” explains that bicycles are not cars because they are made of metal and have wheels. But they do have some things in common: they both have four wheels and they both have a driver who can ride them.
They are also both used for transportation purposes.
Therefore, the comparison of one thing with another helps us understand what we want to say about one thing in relation to another thing.
For example, it may be easier for us to say that bicycles are like cars than it would be for us to explain cars by saying that they are made of metal and have wheels (in order to understand this statement we would need further explanation). Therefore, the use of analogy is important in many different fields such as medicine or physics.
What Is Metaphor?
Metaphor is a comparison of one thing with another that is not made by comparing it to something else. This technique is used to explain something, for example, a car by comparing it to an airplane.
The word metaphor comes from the Greek word metaplós, which means ‘beyond or over’.
This means that the metaphor explains something by comparing it to something else. For example, the metaphor “Bicycle is like an airplane” explains that bicycles are not airplanes because they are not used for transportation purposes.
But they do have some things in common: they both have four wheels and they both have a driver who can ride them. They are also both used for transportation purposes. Therefore, the comparison of one thing with another helps us understand what we want to say about one thing in relation to another thing. For example, it may be easier for us to say that bicycles are like airplanes than it would be for us to explain airplanes by saying that they are made of metal and have wheels (in order to understand this statement we would need further explanation). Therefore, the use of metaphor is important in many different fields such as literature or politics.
Analogy VS Metaphor
The comparison of one thing with another is the technique of analogy. The comparison of one thing with another that is not made by comparing it to something else is the technique of metaphor.
A good example for an analogy is “Bicycle is like a car”. We can explain a bicycle in the same way as we explain a car, for example: “Bicycle has four wheels and has a driver who can ride it.” The word analogy comes from the Greek word análupis, which means ‘to imitate’. This means that the analogy explains something by comparing it to something else.
For example, the metaphor “Bicycle is like a car” explains that bicycles are not cars because they are made of metal and have wheels. But they do have some things in common: they both have four wheels and they both have a driver who can ride them.
They are also both used for transportation purposes. Therefore, the comparison of one thing with another helps us understand what we want to say about one thing in relation to another thing.
