What Metaphor Does Firoozeh Use to Describe Her Family

Looking for some great metaphor examples? We've got you covered.

Aristotle once wrote, "to exist a master of metaphor is a sign of genius."

And the best fashion to master the metaphor? Devour lots of skilful metaphor examples!

So, nosotros've compiled some swell examples of metaphors from content marketing, literature, famous speeches, and pop culture to give you a go-to resource. Yous'll also learn:

• How metaphors and figurative language are related;
• The differences between metaphors and similes, analogies, and hyperbole;
• What are the six common types of metaphors;
• Tips for effectively using metaphors in your ain writing.

In short, by the time you lot stop this post, y'all'll exist a certified metaphor genius.

But before nosotros get to all that, allow's answer the questions people inquire almost frequently about metaphors. We'll start with a metaphor definition:

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What is a Metaphor?

A metaphor (from the Latin metaphora) takes an object or action and compares information technology to something blindingly familiar, but completely unrelated.

The comparison in a metaphor is always non-literal, which makes it weirdly illogical. And yet, its significant is (usually) abundantly clear.

For example:

"Beloved is a fruit in flavour at all times and in reach of every mitt." — Mother Teresa

Dearest is non a fruit; all the same, the pregnant of the comparison is easily understood.

Here's some other instance:

"She was the black sheep of the family unit."

Illogical, right? But you go the meaning right abroad.

Okay, and so that's the definition of metaphor…

What is Figurative Language?

Figurative language is a technique that supercharges your reader'south imagination past taking a flat (or factual) argument and injecting it with life, color, or sense of humour to make it more interesting.

Information technology allows you to paint vivid pictures, punch dwelling house your meaning, and be more than persuasive equally a writer.

A metaphor is one of several figure-of-speech devices that uses figurative linguistic communication.

Here's an example:

"The first rays of sunshine gently stroked my face."

We all know sunshine tin't literally stroke your face, only we can all chronicle to the awareness. The figurative linguistic communication makes it more vibrant than something like, "the starting time rays of sunshine woke me upward."

This blazon of figurative language is known equally "personification," which uses human qualities (stroking) to better illustrate a non-homo action or affair (the sunshine). It'due south a technique often found in metaphors.

There are several other figures of spoken language that use figurative language, including similes, analogies, metonymy, and hyperbole — which are often confused with metaphors.

And then, allow's clear that up for you…

What's the Difference Between Metaphors and Similes, Analogies, or Hyperbole?

Similes

Simile Definition: A simile is the metaphor's first cousin. Where a metaphor states that something is something else, a simile compares ii dissimilar things by using "like" or "as."

Example of Simile: "Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa." — from 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov

Departure Between Similes and Metaphors: A simile straight compares two things using "similar" or "as" ("he was mad as hell"), while a metaphor implicitly states a comparison, without intending it to be taken literally ("he was humid mad").

To the latter example: Obviously, he wasn't boiling, or he'd be dead. But were he a kettle, his lid would exist rattling and steam would be coming from his ears. That's how mad he'd be!

Analogies

Analogy Definition: An analogy is a turbo-powered simile. While a simile compares two different things, an analogy explains the similarities or relationships betwixt ii unlike things.

Example of Analogy: "Longbottom, if brains were aureate, you lot'd exist poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something." — from 'Harry Potter and The Sorcerer'due south Rock' past J.M. Rowling

Divergence Between Analogies and Metaphors: While a metaphor uses a discussion or phrase to represent an idea, an illustration uses narrative or comparisons to explain the idea.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole Definition: Hyperbole is an exaggeration that is not intended to exist taken literally. It's most commonly used for accent, humour, or drama.

Example of Hyperbole: "I was helpless. I did not know what in the globe to exercise. I was quaking from head to pes, and could take hung my lid on my eyes, they stuck out so far." — from "Sometime Times on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain

Difference Between Hyperbole and Metaphors: In that location is a grey area between the ii and information technology's frequently debated. Just here are the facts: Hyperbole always uses exaggeration, whereas metaphors sometimes do.

If a metaphor is clearly an exaggeration, it can be described as a hyperbolic metaphor. An case would be, "weep me a river." Obviously, no ane can possibly shed that many tears. On the other manus, "your suitcase weighs a ton" is hyperbole (non a metaphor).

Google "types of metaphors" and y'all'll get hundreds of weblog posts and scholarly manufactures with lists of metaphors ranging from 3 to 20+ different type (run across: conceptual metaphors, cognitive metaphors, generative metaphors, etc.).

Our take?

Focus on the half-dozen most mutual types of metaphors:

ane. Mutual Metaphors (aka Direct Metaphors, Primary Metaphors, Simple Metaphors, or Conventional Metaphors)

These are the easiest-to-spot metaphors.

A common metaphor (or direct metaphor, uncomplicated metaphor, etc.) is a comparison where the link can exist easily made and direct understood.

Example sentence:

"He was a fish out of water at his new school."

We know immediately what the writer ways, even though it's casuistic to compare a school student to a fish.

Vincent Van Gogh'due south "conscience is a man's compass" is another instance. Illogical, just nosotros sympathise the significant.

Other examples of mutual metaphors are "night owl", "cold anxiety", "beat a dead horse", "early bird", "couch irish potato", "optics were fireflies", "apple of my centre", "heart of stone", "heart of a panthera leo", "roller coaster of emotions", and "centre of gold."

ii. Unsaid Metaphors

Unsaid metaphors strength you to employ your imagination. This kind of metaphor doesn't make a direct comparing, which is like shooting fish in a barrel to spot. Instead, it makes an unsaid comparing.

"She was a dog with a bone" is a mutual metaphor. The dog-like comparing is stated.

"She tucked her tail betwixt her legs and ran away," on the other hand, is an implied metaphor — the comparison to a dog is unsaid, but not stated outright.

3. Extended Metaphors (aka Sustained Metaphors)

Extended metaphors can be direct or implied, but create a greater emphasis with the comparison they're making cheers to their extended length. They can continue for several sentences, several paragraphs, or even longer. (For example, George Orwell's novella Animal Farm is considered by many to exist an extended metaphor and apologue for the Russian Revolution of 1917.)

Extended metaphors are ofttimes used in poetry and literature where the author wants to convey more than passion and commitment to a concept.

Here's a famous case from "I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings" past Maya Angelou:

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage

Can seldom encounter through his bars of rage

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

And his melody is heard on the afar loma for

The caged bird sings of freedom.

And here's an extended metaphor from "Promise is the Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson:

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the melody without the words

And never stops at all.

4. Expressionless Metaphors

A dead metaphor is a effigy of speech that has been around so long or is so overused, it'due south no longer effective.

Phrases similar "it'due south raining cats and dogs", "melting pot", and "you are the light of my life" accept morphed from metaphors into trite banalities and should be avoided.

5. Mixed Metaphors

Mixed metaphors are when two or more inconsistent metaphors become jumbled together — frequently with humorous consequences.

If it's used intentionally, a mixed metaphor tin be an effective communication technique. Only in the incorrect hands, a mixed metaphor can get a jumbled mess.

Former British soccer manager, Stuart Pearce, gave us this gem:

"I tin can meet the carrot at the end of the tunnel."

half-dozen. Sensory Metaphors

Sensory metaphors utilize figurative language to appeal to our senses — sight, audio (example: onomatopoeia), smell, gustatory modality, or impact. Equally such, they're immediately familiar and evocative.

Examples:

• "His vocalism was silky smooth."
• "Her smile lit up the room."

Up to this signal, you've already seen quite a few metaphor examples equally we've explained the dissimilar types of metaphors and gone over several definitions.

Now, allow's get to the meat of the mail service. Here are 41 examples of metaphors from content marketing, literature, great poems, speeches, movies, tv set shows, songs, and more:

Metaphor Examples from Content Marketing

As a content marketer, y'all fight a constant battle for attention. You need your words to jump off the page and galvanize your readers into action.

Using metaphors is a great fashion to practise that. Specially if you weave the metaphorical theme through your post. It helps give your writing a more intriguing creative tone. Information technology makes your message mucilaginous and memorable.

Take these examples of metaphors from some of the cyberspace's best content marketing blogs:

1.

Want to bring your ideas to life, to make them take up residence in the reader'due south listen, lurking in the groundwork, tugging, pulling, and cajoling their emotions until they call back and experience exactly as yous want?
Jon Morrow

ii.

The content landscape isn't some mythical blue body of water lacking in competition. Information technology's a teeming jungle — with enough to consume, and plenty that wants to swallow y'all.
Sonia Simone

iii.

Smarter companies recall of tone of phonation guidelines as bumpers on a bowling lane: They gently guide your communication in the right direction and assist content creators avoid a gutter brawl.
Ann Handley

4.

All the best consumer brands get it. But for as well many B2B brands, vocalization is the confectioner's saccharide of the marketing block — something you sprinkle on at the cease (if it'south in the recipe at all).
Doug Kessler

five.

Carefully crafted, purposeful content is ace at just that: generating REAL traffic and leads. It'southward no wonder people are climbing aboard the content train. Now that you're buckled in, the side by side step is agreement what a professional content writer adds to your marketing strategy.
Julia McCoy

6.

If my business concern was a garden, then my blog posts would exist a colorful display of flowers. Lavander, bougainvillea, fuchsias. By and large in my favorite color (purple of form!). You can walk around this garden and relish my flowers. Information technology's free.
Henneke Duistermaat

vii.

And this is what exasperates me almost the 'blogging and social media for coin' expressway. So many times I follow the yellow brick road laid by an enterprising blogger who's working the system. . .and when I go at that place and pull back the curtain…zero. No wizard. No magic. And no message. Only a lot of mechanics and whirling buttons and a robotic, soulless special furnishings auto.
Kelly Diels

eight.

In large organizations, content is like a continual serial of trains. Each must leave the crowded station on time to make room for the adjacent one or the network apace grinds to a halt. . . Unsurprisingly, the content may fail to perform. You can see why many pieces of content neglect to meet scheduled departure times. Call it death by track changes.
Rusty Weston

All these metaphor examples paint a vivid picture y'all can run across, hear, or even sense of taste. Some of them contain both metaphors and similes, some are extended metaphors, and some are sensory metaphors. Simply none of them are expressionless metaphors.

Practiced metaphors are powerful even when you're tackling a relatively mundane subject field matter, similar hiring copywriters.

So, imagine how exciting metaphors can be in the hands of great fiction and literary writers whose subject thing can roam anywhere they darn well please.

Let'south expect at a few such examples…

Examples of Metaphors in Literature

Metaphors in literature have been around for centuries.

They have cemented glorious stories and ideas into our minds. They have made the words on the page come alive and frolic through our imagination.

Let's beginning with the king of literary terms and metaphors:

9.

All the world's a stage / And all the men and women merely players / They have their exits and their entrances / And i human being in his time plays many parts / His act being seven ages.
from 'Equally Yous Similar It'

Easily up who doesn't know these famous lines by William Shakespeare?

Y'all'll find them in every post and article virtually metaphors, literary devices, literary techniques, or figurative language, because it's a classic extended metaphor case that'due south hard to beat.

Here's another i:

10.

But soft! What lite through yonder window breaks? / It is the E and Juliet is the lord's day! / Arise, off-white sun, and impale the envious moon / Who is already sick and pale with grief / That m her maid art far more off-white than she.
from 'Romeo and Juliet'

"Romeo and Juliet" is chock full of love metaphors. Nothing less than the fair sun and envious moon could express the depth of Romeo's emotional state at that moment. Imagine if he had been factual and said, "What light through yonder window breaks? Oh await, it's Juliet heading for the bathroom".

Shakespeare'southward magnificent metaphors (and his celebrated examples of irony) take wormed their fashion into our modern, everyday conversation and today we can recite them without a second thought.

Similar these examples:

11. "A horse, a horse. My kingdom for a horse!" — from Richard III
12. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" — from Sonnet xviii
13. "Departing is such sugariness sorrow…" — from Romeo and Juliet
14. "All that glitters is non gold…" — from The Merchant of Venice
15. "Why, then, the globe's mine oyster…" — from The Merry Wives of Windsor

I bet y'all didn't know that last one was by Shakespeare.

Metaphors are also used throughout the Bible:

16.

I am the good shepherd … and I lay downwards My life for the sheep.
John 10:14

In fact, the Bible is a hotbed of metaphors, similes, and other types of figurative language:

17. "I am the way, the truth and the life." — John fourteen:vi
18. "You are the Father, we are the clay and You our potter; and all of usa are the work of Your paw." — Isaiah 64:viii
19. "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." — John 6:35

We tin observe great metaphor examples in recent works of literature as well:

20.

Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear y'all open and leave yous in pieces.
from 'Kill the Dead' past Richard Kadrey

That's a formidable metaphor. This 1's a little sweeter:

21.

You lot're a marshmallow. Soft and sweet and when you get heated upwardly you go all gooey and delicious.
from 'One for the Money' by Janet Evanovich

And this one pulls no punches:

22.

The parents looked upon Matilda in particular equally nix more than a scab. A scab is something yous take to put upwards with until the time comes when you pick it off and moving picture it abroad.
from 'Matilda' past Roald Dahl

Ouch! Poor Matilda.

Or how about metaphor poems? Hither's an extract from a poem written when the author idea she might exist pregnant:

23.

This loaf's big with its yeasty ascent / Money's new-minted in this fatty purse / I'grand a means, a phase, a cow in calf / I've eaten a bag of green apples / Boarded the train there'due south no getting off.
from 'Metaphors' by Sylvia Plath

Yikes! Can't you lot experience Sylvia's swollen discomfort? Perhaps it was simply likewise she turned out non to be pregnant after all.

One more:

24.

Our words are but crumbs that autumn downwardly from the feast of the mind.
from 'Sand & Cream' by Khalil Gibran

This one judgement manages to fit in two different comparisons, words/crumbs and feast/mind. Impressive.

Metaphor Examples from Famous Speeches

Famous metaphors are constitute in great speeches throughout history.

Notable statesmen and leaders know they need to capture the hearts and minds of their audience and cypher does that better than a slam douse metaphor. Like these:

25.

Hitler knows that he volition have to break us in these islands or lose the war. If nosotros can stand to him, all Europe may be freed, and the life for the globe may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.
Winston Churchill's 'Finest Hour' speech in June 1940

26.

America has tossed its cap over the wall of space.
John F. Kennedy at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center in San Antonio, Texas, in 1963

27.

In the night days and darker nights when England stood solitary — and nigh men save Englishmen despaired of England'south life — he mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.
JFK referring to Winston Churchill

28.

I take a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the rut of oppression, will be transformed into an haven of freedom and justice.
Martin Luther Male monarch'due south 'I Accept a Dream Speech' in 1963

29.

With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our mutual issues.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Countdown Address in 1933

Examples of Metaphors from Pop Culture

Metaphors don't always have to be profound or literary. In the easily of song, TV, and movie writers; metaphors are frequently light, whimsical, and funny (or sad).

Simply, they're always entertaining.

Songwriters turn to metaphors because it allows them to be more creative, expressive, and raw with their lyrics. Metaphors in songs are designed to exist felt.

Hither are a few lyric examples:

30.

Burn away, fire away / Y'all shoot me down, but I won't fall / I am titanium
David Guetta

31.

Nosotros are young / Heartache to heartache we stand / No promises / No demands / Love is a battlefield
Pat Benatar

32.

You ain't nothin' simply a hound canis familiaris / Quit snoopin' 'round my door
Elvis Presley

33.

Her heart's every bit soft equally feathers / Still she weathers stormy skies / And she's a sparrow when she's cleaved / Merely she's an eagle when she flies
Dolly Parton

34.

'Cause, baby, you're a firework / Come up on, evidence 'em what you're worth / Make them go oh, oh, oh / Equally y'all shoot across the sky
Katy Perry

35.

And if you lot want love / We'll make information technology / Swim in a deep ocean / Of blankets / Take all your big plans / And interruption 'em / This is bound to be a while / Your body is a wonderland
John Mayer

In TV and movies, metaphors are often used every bit a device to handle taboo subjects such as sex or bodily parts. If yous dress them upwards in comedic barrack, it makes them more acceptable (and even funny).

The TV show Seinfeld was masterful at this:

36.

Jerry, information technology's L.A.! Nobody leaves. She's a seductress, she's a siren, she's a virgin, she's a who-oooore.
Cosmo Kramer

37.

I demand the secure packaging of Jockeys. My boys need a house!
Kramer (on his preference for Jockey shorts)

38.

Just when I think you're the shallowest man I've ever met, you somehow manage to drain a piffling more than out of the pool.
Elaine (to Jerry)

And side by side time you get to the movies, watch out for an entire metaphorical theme lurking behind the scenes:

39.

Truman is a metaphor for acquisition fears, perseverance, and not accepting the reality with which we're presented. Some also claim there are controlling government and antichrist themes played out through the reality show'southward creator, Christof. — The Truman Evidence

40.

On the surface, it'due south nigh a grouse couple who discover they are spies for rival agencies. But it's really a metaphor for the sanctity of marriage, meaningful communication, and learning to exist vulnerable. — Mr. and Mrs. Smith

41.

Phil Connors (portrayed by Bill Murray) is stuck in a time warp. He relives the aforementioned day over and over until he changes into a better person. The metaphor is one of self-discovery and improvement, which many say are rooted in Buddhist philosophies. — Groundhog Twenty-four hour period

Now that we've looked at numerous metaphor examples, let'due south go over some applied tips that'll help you use metaphors in your own writing.

1. Use Metaphors in Your Headlines

We all know that headlines are the most of import part of your post. If your headline doesn't grab your reader's attention, the remainder of your post will be expressionless in the h2o.

So, what amend place to slip in a nifty metaphor than in your headline? Similar and so:

• Toy Story four is a Salute to Parents of Grown Children — from Nature Moms
• Win the War on Debt: fourscore Ways to be Frugal and Save Money — from Art of Manliness
• How Decision Fatigue Steals Your Productivity (And How to Win it Dorsum) — from Evernote

2. Brand an Entire Post or Article Metaphorically Themed

This is a cracking fashion to bring a subject area to life or brand a complex thought more hands understood. Here'south how:

Showtime, take your subject and think of a 2d concept you could marshal it to. Let's say your subject is "how to write a content brief," which involves a formula and procedure — a bit similar cooking. So, let's use that every bit your 2d concept.

Now showtime brainstorming words and ideas that can be applied to each concept separately:

Adjacent, expect at your 2 lists and identify words or ideas that might overlap:

• "Set of instructions" and "recipes"
• "Audition" and "diners"
• "Outcomes" and "terminate result"
• "Style/voice" and "secret herbs and spices"
• "Outline" and "ingredients"

Can you feel a theme coming on?

3. Use Metaphors to Brand Facts and Figures Come to Life

Data. Facts and Figures. Nosotros all know they're important to substantiate your arguments, but on their own they can be meaningless and, to be honest, downright boring.

If I told you the circumference of the world was 24,901 miles, y'all'd probably yawn.

Just if I said the circumference of the world was 801,500 Olympic size pond pools laid dorsum to back, information technology paints a much more relatable picture.

Think about the way nosotros teach children how to add together and decrease. We say, "if I give you 3 apples and have away one, how many are you left with?"

Nosotros are no different as adults. Our brains process facts and figures more than effectively when they are anchored to relatable imagery or a concrete idea.

Note: Their power to brand facts and figures come to life is a big reason why metaphors are often used in academic writing. Writers who offer help with dissertations will use metaphors to spice up overused or hard-to-understand topics.

iv. Exist Sure to Utilise Metaphors Relevant to Your Audition

Think virtually who y'all are writing for and the context of your subject matter. If your post is aimed at teenage girls, you probably wouldn't use a war analogy.

On the other hand, writers in the self-improvement niche often use metaphors related to battles as we strive to conquer our demons and make changes in our lives.

Utilise metaphors that are relevant to the times we live in and changes in our society and culture. Think almost the age and generational context of your audience. If they are immature, don't utilize outdated or old-fashioned metaphors that volition leave them common cold.

v. Use of Metaphors to Brand Dull Ideas Sparkle

Like it or not, at that place's probably going to come a time when yous find yourself having to write well-nigh something ho-hum. (And if y'all write for clients, there definitely will come a time when yous're bored to tears.)

That'due south when metaphors become the writer'south all-time friend.

Metaphors let you to hold your audience's attending by shifting their focus away from the boring bits onto something far more than imaginative and artistic. Comparing religion, art, and scientific discipline to branches on a tree, equally Albert Einstein once did, is a skilful example.

Kristina Halvorson does this in her post How to Embrace (and Gently Encourage) the Content Audit.

Let's face it, a content audit is not the most riveting discipline affair, but Kristina manages to bring it to life by comparing audits to clearing up other people'southward "icky detritus" after the winter snowfall has melted.

half dozen. Metaphors Don't Have to Be Written (Or, Get Artistic With Metaphorical Images)

Metaphors don't have to exist limited to text. You tin make your betoken just as powerfully — and faster — with a visual metaphor.

In blogging, no i does metaphorical illustrations better than Henneke Duistermaat and her hand-drawn "Henrietta" cartoons.

We tin't all be talented artists like Henneke, but nosotros can find entertaining or moving imagery that represents our message.

Only…

When you're searching for the right prototype on sites like Unsplash and Gratisography, recollect not to recall of the literal meaning. Think metaphorically.

Let's say you want to write a mail on writer'south cake. The obvious image would be something like this:

Photo by Steve Johnson

But that's too obvious. What we need is a metaphor for author's block.

What emotions would you compare to writer's block? Emptiness, fright, loneliness, frustration, feeling trapped?

Look for images that capture i or more of those feelings. Like this:

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Which of those two images is going to attract more attention and add more spice and graphic symbol to your blog postal service?

seven. Avoid the Cliches and Don't Overdo Your Metaphor Quota

Finally, here are a few what not to-dos:

• Don't overuse metaphors. Opt for simple metaphors (or sprinkle a few well-placed metaphors for the sake of clarity or persuasion). Too many volition weigh your post downwardly and offset to sound messy.
• Don't force metaphors into your writing. It's like overusing adjectives or flowery words. Readers will spot them a mile away.
• Avoid the overly obvious or dead metaphors. They tend to be clichéd and have lost their ability to conjure up a visual prototype. Examples are "going belly up," "kicking the saucepan," and "yous light upward my life."

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You Just Read the Definitive List of Metaphor Examples. Ready to Unleash Their Power?

Metaphors are all around us.

They sneak into everyday life and everyday linguistic communication ("the traffic was a nightmare"). They aid us form impressions of people and situations ("he fought cancer and won").

But most of all — equally I promise these examples of metaphors accept shown you lot — they are perhaps the most powerful literary device in a writer's toolbox. (Although, I'm sure ingemination would beg to differ.)

Metaphors are a zap of electricity between you and your audition — a jolt that's often the difference betwixt a lackluster sentence and a sparkling gem of persuasive genius.

So, next time you want to compel your readers to accept activeness, savor your words, or quickly grasp your significant, use a metaphor.

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