simile

This term describes a specific rhetorical device used to establish a relationship between two unrelated entities. It relies on explicit markers of comparison, which distinguishes it from a metaphor where the comparison is implicit or direct. The goal is typically to clarify a complex idea or evoke a sensory response by linking it to a familiar object or quality.

As a standard countable noun, it follows regular English pluralization rules. It is frequently used in academic, literary, and linguistic contexts to analyze the structure of poetry or prose, though it is common in everyday speech when people describe things as being like something else.