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What Is a Simile?

by Craig Shrives

Definition of "Simile" (with Examples)

A simile is a figure of speech that likens one thing to another (usually by using the word like or as).

Table of Contents

Examples of Similes
Examples of Famous Similes
Examples of Funny Similes
Similes vs Metaphors
Video Lesson
Why Similes Are Important
Printable Test

Formal Definition

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion ). (Oxford Dictionary)

Examples of Similes

Here are some common similes:

As brave as a lion
As quiet as a mouse
As busy as a bee
As strong as an ox
As white as snow
As light as a feather
As blind as a bat
As happy as a clam
As slippery as an eel
As sly as a fox
As stubborn as a mule
As cool as a cucumber
As quick as a flash
As sharp as a razor
As hot as hell
As old as the hills
As slow as molasses
As hard as nails
As proud as a peacock
As smooth as silk

Here are some similes in sentences:

I am as poor as a church mouse.
He is hungry like a wolf.
She sings like an angel.
His woollen scarf hung around his neck like a dead skunk.
He was as cool as the other side of the pillow.
"Life is like a camera, focus on the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, take another shot." (Anon)

Examples of Famous Similes

Here are some similes by famous people:

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." (Boxer Muhammad Ali)
"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." (Forrest Gump)
"Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." (American naturalist Henry David Thoreau)
A room without books is like a body without a soul. (Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero)
Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. (English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello)

Examples of Funny Similes

Here are some funny similes:

As lost as a penguin in the Sahara
As useful as a chocolate teapot
As smart as a bag of hammers
As quiet as a herd of elephants
As graceful as a hippopotamus on roller skates
As fast as a snail on tranquilizers
As confused as a chameleon in a bag of Skittles
As helpful as a screen door on a submarine
As fashionable as a mullet haircut
As popular as a skunk at a garden party

Here are some funny similes in sentences:

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
Duct tape is like the force — it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. (American comedian Carl Zwanzig)
Dealing with network executives is like being nibbled to death by ducks. (American author Eric Sevareid)
I'm as pure as the driven slush. (American actress Tallulah Bankhead)
His teeth looked like an unkempt picket fence.
He rolled out of bed like a fruit fly stuck in honey.
Her vocabulary was like, yeah, whatever.

Similes vs Metaphors

Similes contrast with metaphors. A metaphor asserts that one thing is something that it literally is not. Here are some examples of similes alongside similar-looking metaphors.

Simile	Metaphor
John is like a weasel. (something is like something else)	John is a weasel. (something is something else)
Her focus was like a laser. (something is like something else)	Her focus was a laser. (something is something else)
Her laser-like focus fixed on her rivals. (something is like something else)	Her laser eyes fixed on her rivals. (Metaphors can also be created by using non-literal words.)

(Reason 1) A simile can be a great way to explain or promote an idea.

Similes are used to create mental pictures that will help your readers grasp your idea with the same clarity as you. They are far more common in creative writing than business writing, but they have utility in both.

Used sparingly in business writing, similes can be memorable and impactful, and using one can make you look confident. They can also be used to clarify your stance on an issue.

"Plan A would be like throwing the pilot out of a stricken aircraft to make it lighter."

Even if you're not convinced of ability of similes to make your message more impactful, you might want to use one occasionally just to make your text more engaging. That idea is captured in this quotation.

Similes prove nothing, but yet they greatly lighten and relieve the tedium of argument. (Poet Robert South)

(Reason 2) A tired simile can sink you.

Be mindful, however, that overusing similes in business writing can portray you as flippant or dull (especially if they're cliches, i.e., tired similes). The following quotation captures the risk of using an old simile:

"The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." (Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali)

Key Points

Expressing an idea with a simile is like printing your mind's eye.
If it's appropriate for your business document, you can use a fresh simile to clarify or to highlight your idea. But don't use two.

Printable Test

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