Definition
An analogy is a bridge between the familiar and the strange: it explains something new by showing how it works like something you already understand. The heart is like a pump; the atom is like a tiny solar system. A good analogy maps part onto part — this corresponds to that — so the structure of the known thing lights up the unknown one. Analogies teach and persuade, but they also mislead the moment the likeness is pushed past the point where it really holds.
Examples
Collocations
draw an analogy·by analogy·a close analogy·a false analogy·an analogy between
Synonyms
comparison·parallel·correspondence·likeness·metaphor
Antonyms
contrast·difference
Word family
analogous (adjective)·analogically (adverb)·analogue (noun)
In TOEFL & IELTS
A core academic noun. 'To draw an analogy between X and Y' is a clean, high-level move in IELTS Writing and TOEFL Speaking when you explain an abstract idea. Examiners also test 'analogous to' (similar in a specific way). Beware the 'false analogy' — a comparison that breaks down — which is a named reasoning flaw in argument essays. Stress falls on the second syllable: a-NAL-o-gy.