Simile Made Simple: The Art of Indirect Comparisons

A simile is a literary devices that uses artful comparison to surprise, delight, and reveal meaning to the reader. These devices populate the literary canon, and understanding how they work is useful for both readers and writers alike.

This article provides a close study of the device, with simile examples and writing exercises to help you try your hand. We will also explore when to use a simile versus a metaphor, another common comparison device with a similar structure (but potentially different outcomes).

But first, what, exactly, is a simile?

Simile Definition: The Indirect Comparison

The words “simile” and “similar” come from the same root, and that’s exactly what a simile is: a comparison of things. Like metaphors, the most successful similes discover similarities between seemingly unalike things.

Specifically, a simile is a common literary device that compares two or more items using “like,” “as,” or another comparative preposition. Also known as an “indirect comparison,” the simile allows writers to explore the many facets of complex ideas and objects.

A simile compares two or more items using “like,” “as,” or another comparative preposition.

A simile compares two or more items using “like,” “as,” or another comparative preposition.

Take these three simile examples:

• My cat is as loud as Yankee Stadium.
• My cat is soft and fluffy, like a teddy bear.
• My cat destroys furniture the way bulldozers destroy buildings.

These similes offer very different descriptions, yet coexist quite peacefully in my cat—who is, in fact, loud and soft and destructive.

Anatomy of a Simile: Primum Comparandum and Secundum Comparatum

A simile, like a metaphor, is composed of two parts. Perhaps confusingly, these two parts are in Latin: the Primum Comparandum and the Secundum Comparatum.

A Primum Comparandum is the subject of the simile: the thing you are most interested in describing or understanding via the use of simile.

The Secundum Comparatum, then, is the thing the subject is being compared to: that which describes and elucidates the nature of something.

For example, in the simile “my cat is as loud as Yankee Stadium”:

• Primum Comparandum: My cat
• Secundum Comparatum: Yankee Stadium

These two components of a simile meet at what is called the Tertium Comparationis. This is the common ground at which the two components meet. In this case, the Tertium Comparationis is loudness, as this is the concept or quality that unites the two seemingly unalike things.

A simile reveals the nature of something by scaffolding existing knowledge into what’s unknown.

What is the point of this mental exercise? Certainly, you don’t need to know some old-timey Latin terms to appreciate the elegance of similes. But, this breakdown affords us a few insights into the nature of simile writing:

• A simile reveals the nature of something by scaffolding existing knowledge into what’s unknown.

In other words, if you know how loud Yankee Stadium can get, I can better illustrate my cat’s volume, rather than just telling you he is “loud.”

• A simile requires lateral, imaginative thinking.

Any attempt to find the unity and similarity between unalike things is a way of bridging distant ideas or even worlds. But we can only do this with close, careful attention to what we know or seek to know.

• A simile allows its subject both connection and discreteness.

In other words, the subject of a simile is connected to the world by way of comparison, but still retains its own individual identity. This is in contrast to a metaphor, whose comparison is a literal act of transformation.

When to Use Simile Vs Metaphor

Similes and metaphors are both artful comparisons. As such, many similes can also be metaphors and vice versa. I can tell you my cat is as loud as Yankee Stadium, but I can also tell you that my cat is Yankee Stadium. Which is better?

In the case of my cat, a simile makes more sense, seeing as he is not actually Yankee Stadium. But, the simile is also hyperbolic: I am not seeking to define my cat’s volume with a precise decibel measurement—I am seeking to define the feeling of his volume, which is described as being louder than it actually is.

Use a simile when you want the subject of the simile to retain its individual identity, rather than be transformed by comparison.

This could, theoretically, be accomplished by saying that my cat is Yankee Stadium, especially when he is hungry. So, this begs the same question: when should you actually use a simile vs a metaphor?

These are not hard-and-fast rules, but, generally…

Use a Simile When…

1. You want the subject of the simile to retain its individual identity, rather than be transformed by comparison.
2. You intend to describe the subject with multiple similes and comparisons, even if those comparisons occur on different pages.
3. The writing sticks to the facts of material reality. This is not to say that metaphors always dabble in fantasy, but, because a metaphor is itself an act of transformation, metaphors reshape the reader’s mental image of an object or idea, which makes them both powerful and trickier to use.

On this last point: if I say my cat is Yankee Stadium, the meaning is clear enough, but the image is actually a bit confused. What are you supposed to picture? A cat the size of a baseball field? Does he have bleachers in his fur?

The meaning is less potent by way of the lack of clear imagery. Conversely…

Use a Metaphor When…

1. The metaphor intends to radically reshape your perception, image, or idea of something.
2. Simple comparison won’t do: the writer needs to engage in active transformation to truly reveal the meaning of something.
3. Only one metaphor is needed to properly convey the essence of the metaphor’s subject.

Using multiple metaphors to describe a single subject can result in a mixed metaphor, in which the essence of the subject is confused, rather than heightened and enlightened, by metaphor. Mixed metaphors sometimes work, but you have to be very careful with how you use them.

Learn more about metaphors here:

The Meaning-Making Magic of Metaphor

Now, let’s see how this advice plays out in some simile examples.

Simile Examples

Here are some more simile examples, all of which come from published works of literature. Pay attention to how the following similes enhance meaning through artful, unexpected comparisons, drawing out the hidden qualities of their subjects.

Excerpt from The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

By portraying the color of the horizon like a rug, this simile makes the sun seem regal and majestic. This is also a great example of “show, don’t tell” writing, because we know the sun is rising without being told it’s dawn.

Excerpt from “Passengers” by Denis Johnson

Retrieved here.

What an uncomfortable image! Would you believe this simile is the first line of a sonnet? Comparing the world to a “burst intestine” adds a visceral quality to the poem, as it treats the world as a living organism in peril. Additionally, the words “burst” and “intestine” have a slimy sound to them, making this simile both disturbing and intriguing.

Excerpt from “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John (lyrics by Bernie Taupin)

This simile is deceptively simple because it paints a complex image. How does a candle react to the wind? Sometimes it flickers, sometimes it stands even taller, and sometimes it wanes to an ember, waiting for the weather to pass.

Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s co-songwriter, wrote the lyrics for “Candle in the Wind” to commemorate the life of Marilyn Monroe, but although the song is specific to one person, the simile could apply to anyone, demonstrating the simple power of this literary device.

Excerpt from “Time” by John Wieners

The comparison here, of course, is the time-motion of life to that of an avalanche. But I think “dredges” is a critical verb here. What does it mean to dredge? Dredging means raising up detritus, or else bringing to light things that were buried by way of slow, excavating movement. It is ironic, then, that the poem skips June and July, even as the motion of its own verb is rather slow and hefty—a testament to simile’s capacity for both description and dissent.

Excerpt from “In the Morning, Before Anything Bad Happens” by Molly Brodak

Retrieved here.

Brodak’s work is often sparse, sometimes stark in its sparseness. In this poem, Brodak’s comparison of workers to spokes is perhaps difficult to picture—what “line” are they upright on?—but the image itself reveals something mute, perhaps powerless (if productive) about the workers themselves. In the same way a spoke quietly serves a structural purpose for a wheel or a rail, these workers are still, calm. The effect here feels ominous, given the poem’s title.

Ways of Using Similes

All similes are artful comparisons. But there are plenty of ways to wield the art of comparison in your work. Consider the following as both useful exercises in the craft of literary devices and as potential prompts for your own poetry or short prose writing.

You can use a simile:

• As artful description: A good simile can help the reader visualize the subject of your writing in a way that conventional imagery might not.
• To reveal something hidden or unexpected: By surprising the reader with a comparison that is not obvious, a successful simile can showcase the hidden realities of things and alter or estrange a reader’s perception.
• When plain language fails: If simple, linear description doesn’t work, reaching for the figurative can help you achieve the effect you want in your reader’s mind.
• To avoid relying on cliché: If you find yourself reaching for tired phrases, a simile might help you freshen up your language. However, some clichés are themselves similes (such as “cool as a cucumber), so be cautious not to reinvent the wheel.

Simile Writing Exercises

It’s your turn to write some similes! A simile should be concise yet expressive, stimulating the reader’s mind without “spoon feeding” a certain interpretation. As you work through these exercises, keep your simile examples descriptive, yet open-ended.

1. Simile Comparison Lists

On a blank piece of paper, create two lists, with each list containing 6 items.

In one list, jot down six different abstract nouns. An abstract noun is something that doesn’t have a physical presence: words like “love,” “justice,” “anger,” and “envy” are all abstract. Words that end in -ism are usually abstract, too, like “solipsism,” “capitalism,” and “antidisestablishmentarianism.”

In the other list, jot down six different concrete nouns. These are nouns that you can touch or observe—so, even though you can’t touch the planet Neptune, it’s still concrete and observable. Try to use nouns that are in most peoples’ vocabularies: the reader is much more likely to know what a basketball is than what a chatelaine is.

For reference, your list might look like this:

Now, connect each abstract noun to a random concrete noun. Try not to be too intentional about which nouns you connect: the point is to compare two different items at random.

Once you’ve connected your two lists, it’s time to write! You’re going to write six similes, one for each pair of nouns. Your similes will use the concrete noun to describe the abstract noun, offering a deeper understanding of that abstract noun.

For example, I might connect the words “anger” and “pencil sharpener.” The goal is to offer a deeper understanding of “anger” through visual description, so I might write the following simile:

• “Anger, like a pencil sharpener, made my words precise while grinding me to dust.”

Write a simile for every noun pair in your list, and see what you come up with! This exercise might spark an idea for a poem, give you a powerful line for a short story, or simply juice your creativity.

2. Simile Poetry

Something wonderful about similes is their versatility. The same object can be described through a series of similes, each simile building off of each other to build a full and complex image.

There’s even such a thing as simile poetry, which is exactly what it sounds like: a poem consisting of similes. Read the poem Surety by Jane Huffman, which abounds with great simile examples.

The goal of this exercise is to write your own simile poem. We’ll follow a simple four step process to do this.

1. First, select an object or concept that you want to write about. You have free range here: select something as trivial as a spoon, as complicated as time travel, or as abstract as godhood.
2. Second, generate a list of nouns. Set a timer for 2 minutes and write down as many nouns as you can think of. Try to stick to concrete nouns, as abstract nouns will prove harder to write with.
3. Third, write some similes! Compare the topic of your poem to each of the nouns you just listed. You don’t have to use every noun, as there might be nouns in your list that have nothing in common with your topic. The goal is to create strong, impactful similes, each of which demonstrate a different facet of the complex idea you’re writing about.
4. Fourth, assemble your poem. You can write a poem entirely out of similes the way Jane Huffman did, or you can use these similes strategically, like how Kyle Dargan uses the simile to write his ghazal Points of Contact.

3. Simile Litany

Consider a topic of interest in your work. It could be an abstract concept, a concrete image, an event, etc.

Set a timer for 10 minutes. Challenge yourself to write as many similes as possible to describe (accurately and intentionally) your subject.

My cat continues to be a useful example. He is as orange as a sunset, agile as silly putty, clownish as a child, childish as a cloud, etc.

As you generate your list, you will likely start running out of comparisons. Keep going anyway. You will find that your creativity starts to stretch, and you end up writing comparisons that surprise you. For example, I don’t know what it actually means for my cat to be childish as a cloud—are clouds childish?—but, I wrote it anyway, as it makes me pay different attention to my own subject matter.

Write Artful Similes at Writers.com

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