LIKE

A simile (/ˈsɪməli/) is a figure of speech that DIRECTLY compares TWO Things.

Similes differ from other metaphors by highlighting the similarities between Two Things using comparison words such as “LIKE”, “as”, “so”, or “ than”, while other metaphors create an implicit comparison (i.e. saying something “IS” Something Else).

This distinction is evident in the etymology of the words: simile derives from the Latin word similis (“similar, LIKE”), while metaphor derives from the Greek word metapherein (“to transfer”).