metaphor

Definition of metaphor in English English dictionary: The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isn’t, invoking a direct similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing described, but in the case of English without the words like or as, which would imply a simile; The word or phrase used in this way. An implied comparison; a figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by speaking as if the other; {i} simile, poetic substitution of one thing for another in order to suggest comparison or resemblance; mundane thing that is used as a symbol for an abstract concept; {n} a change from natural to figurative; (metta-for) A metaphor is a phrase or figure of speech that takes a name or descriptive term and applies it to a person or object in a non-literal sense - for example, "the heart of the matter", "a pillar of the community", "a wave of terrorism", and so forth; the ship plows the sea; If you mix your metaphors, you use two conflicting metaphors. People do this accidentally, or sometimes deliberately as a joke. To mix yet more metaphors, you were trying to run before you could walk, and I've clipped your wings. Figure of speech in which a word or phrase denoting one kind of object or action is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in "the ship plows the seas" or "a volley of oaths"). A metaphor is an implied comparison (as in "a marble brow"), in contrast to the explicit comparison of the simile ("a brow white as marble"). Metaphor is common at all levels of language and is fundamental in poetry, in which its varied functions range from merely noting a likeness to serving as a central concept and controlling image; / implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to it *Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage Shakespeare, Macbeth * while he learned the language (that meager and fragile thread by which the little surface corners and edges of men's secret and solitary lives may be joined for an instant now and then before sinking back into the darkness ) Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! *From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent W Churchill (A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples, Ross Scaife); the direct substitution of a word or phrase for an object or concept in order to suggest comparison with another object or concept Example: Jason is a tiger on the field; Figure of speech in which one word or phrase substitutes for another in order to make an analogy between them; e g , "The Lord is my shepherd "; in metaphorical usage, expressions are used in a way that appears literally false For example, using the word boiling to describe water which is simply too hot for comfort; a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them; 1 the application to a word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote, in order to suggest a comparison with another object or concept (Webster Dictionary, 1983); (1) one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy between them; (2) an implicit comparison or identification of one thing with another unlike itself without the use of a verbal signal Sometimes used as a general term for figure of speech; The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isnt, implying a similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing described, and without the words "like" or "as"; when a word or phrase is applied to something it does not literally resemble in order to emphasise particular qualities, for example 'She was a star'; A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles; implied comparison between two things by calling or implying that one is the other See also: catachresis, simile; n 1 Abbr met metaph A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" -Shakespeare 2 One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol; A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object An example is "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with qualities of the second object, the sun (Compare with Simile ); One thing conceived as representing a thing ordinarily designates one things is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison Close; a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity; The comparison of two things which are quite different in order to express an emotion, an idea, or a concept that cannot be described, in all its subtlety, by literal language alone In this direct comparison (no like or as - see simile) the two 'things' compared exchange properties to create a whole new range of meanings For example, in: -; If one thing is a metaphor for another, it is intended or regarded as a symbol of it. The divided family remains a powerful metaphor for a society that continued to tear itself apart; A relation between two symbols, which may be simple juxtaposition (literal metaphor), a rhetorical statement of likeness or similarity (descriptive metaphor), an analogy of proportion among four terms (formal metaphor), an identity of an individual with its class (concrete universal or archetypal metaphor), or statement of hypothetical identity (anagogic metaphor); a comparison that is made literally, either by a verb (for example, John Keats' "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" from his "Ode on a Grecian Urn") or, less obviously, by a combination of adjective and noun, noun and verb, etc (for example, Shakespeare's sonnet on the "the marriage of true minds"), but in any case without pointing out a similarity by using words such as "as," "like," or "than " Dead metaphor: an originally metaphoric expression in which the implied comparison has been forgotten and is taken literally, as, for example, "I have my hands full at this time " Mixed metaphor: two awkwardly-yoked metaphors, such as "kicking the spurs of zeal on the road to Abraham's bosom "; a word or phrase that means one thing and is used for referring to another thing in order to emphasize their similar qualities; language that stresses a relationship between two things, giving one thing the qualities of the other (basically - a 'stronger' similie, not using 'like' or 'as'); a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another; application of a word or phrase to an object or concept in order to suggest a comparison; A metaphor is an imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else which is the same in a particular way. For example, if you want to say that someone is very shy and frightened of things, you might say that they are a mouse. the avoidance of `violent expressions and metaphors' like `kill two birds with one stone'. the writer's use of metaphor; The transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e; 192 A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in head of household, or, a sea of troubles 193 One thing conceived as representing another, such as calling the Internet a global agora; A description of a set of circumstances designed to replicate the patterns of a real set of circumstances, used to offer solutions and suggestions or learning Often used to allow learning to occur directly through the unconscious mind Includes allegory and simile; An implied comparison between two things that are seemingly different; a figure of speech that makes a comparison of two unlike things without using the words like or as (e g , All the world's a stage )
conceptual metaphor: The understanding of one idea, or conceptual domain in terms of another
dead metaphor: A former metaphor which has in effect lost its metaphorical status and become literal, e.g. "electric current" (electricity was at first thought to be analogous to water). Not to be confused with stale metaphor (a type of cliché), although it often is
extended metaphor: A metaphor that is continued over multiple sentences
metaphorically: In a metaphoric manner; not literally; by means of metaphor
He conveyed his teachings metaphorically.
metaphorically: Used to draw attention that what follows is a metaphor, not to be taken literally
Metaphorically, he was crushed.
mixed metaphor: An overreaching or even contradictory combination of two distinct metaphors, similes or idioms
stale metaphor: A metaphor which has lost its impact due to overuse
at the end of the day is a stale metaphor because the football commentator uses it every five minutes.
metaphorical: {a} not literal, figurative, typical
metaphorically: {a} in a figurative manner
dead metaphor: `he is a snake' may once have been a metaphor but after years of use it has died and become a new sense of the word `snake'
dead metaphor: a metaphor that has occurred so often that it has become a new meaning of the expression e
metaphoric: Of or pertaining to metaphor; comprising a metaphor; not literal; figurative; tropical; as, a metaphorical expression; a metaphorical sense
metaphoric: expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another; "a metaphorical expression"; "metaphoric language"
metaphoric: {s} of or pertaining to a metaphor, of simile; representational, allegory-like
metaphoric: Like a metaphor
metaphorical: Pertaining to or characterized by a metaphor; figurative; symbolic
metaphorical: {s} of or pertaining to a metaphor, of a simile; representational, allegory-like
metaphorical: You use the word metaphorical to indicate that you are not using words with their ordinary meaning, but are describing something by means of an image or symbol. It turns out Levy is talking in metaphorical terms + metaphorically meta·phori·cal·ly You're speaking metaphorically, I hope
metaphorical: expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another; "a metaphorical expression"; "metaphoric language"
metaphorical: expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another; "a metaphorical expression"; "metaphoric language
metaphorical: Of or pertaining to metaphor; comprising a metaphor; not literal; figurative; tropical; as, a metaphorical expression; a metaphorical sense
metaphorical: tralatitious
metaphorical: tralaticious
metaphorically: in a metaphorical manner; "she expressed herself metaphorically
metaphorically: in a metaphorical manner, comparatively; allegorically
metaphorically: In a metaphoric manner; not literal
metaphorically: in a metaphorical manner; "she expressed herself metaphorically"
metaphors: plural of metaphor
mixed metaphor: a combination of two or more metaphors that together produce a ridiculous effect
mixed metaphor: A succession of incongruous metaphors, as in The negotiator played his cards to the hilt
synesthetic metaphor: a metaphor that exploits a similarity between experiences in different sense modalities
the metaphor stands for: the metaphor symbolizes, the allegory stands for

metaphor

Hyphenation

met·a·phor

Turkish pronunciation

metıfôr

Synonyms

allegory, analogy, emblem, hope, image, metonymy, personification, similitude, symbol, trope

Antonyms

plain speech

Pronunciation

/ˈmetəfôr/ /ˈmɛtəfɔːr/

Etymology

[ 'me-t&-"for also -f ] (noun.) 1533. From Latin metaphora from Ancient Greek μεταφορά (metaphora) from μεταφέρω (metapherō, “I transfer, apply”) from μετά (meta, “with, across, after”) + φέρω (pherō, “I bear, carry”)