analogy
Pluralanalogies
- 1A way of explaining something by showing how it is like another thing.
Like pointing to something familiar so a person can picture something new.
She used an analogy to explain how the heart works like a pump.
The teacher's analogy comparing electricity to flowing water helped the class understand.
Similarcomparison, parallel, correspondence, likeness
Oppositecontrast
Note
- 2The way new word forms are made to match the usual patterns of a language.
Like making a new word follow the same rule as the words around it.
Children rely on analogy when they say "goed" instead of "went."
By analogy with "cats," a young child might form the plural "mouses."
Note
- 3When two ratios are equal, like 2 to 4 being the same as 3 to 6.
Like a recipe scaled up: two cups for four people matches four cups for eight.
In this analogy, four is to eight as five is to ten.
The two pairs form an analogy because both ratios equal one half.
Similarproportion
Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of analogy apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
From Latin analogia, which came from Ancient Greek. It combines a prefix with logos, meaning 'speech' or 'reckoning'.