an inference that if things agree in some respects they probably agree in others
"The lawyer used a strong analogy to argue that since the new policy harms small businesses just like the previous tax did, it should be repealed."
drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect
"the operation of a computer presents and interesting analogy to the working of the brain"
"the models show by analogy how matter is built up"
the religious belief that between creature and creator no similarity can be found so great but that the dissimilarity is always greater; any analogy between God and humans will always be inadequate
"In his sermon, the priest emphasized that while we often use analogies to explain divine love, true theology holds that any comparison between God and humanity remains fundamentally inadequate because their dissimilarities always outweigh their similarities."
A relationship of resemblance or equivalence between two situations, people, or objects, especially when used as a basis for explanation or extrapolation.
"The teacher drew an analogy between the flow of electricity in a wire and water moving through a pipe to help students understand voltage and current."
In plain English: An analogy is comparing two different things to show how they are similar in some way.
"She used an analogy comparing the internet to a vast library to explain how information is stored and retrieved."
Usage: Avoid using "analogy" to mean the specific comparison itself; instead, use terms like "simile," "metaphor," or simply state that one thing is "like" another. Reserve "analogy" strictly for instances where you are drawing a parallel between two distinct situations to clarify a concept.
The word analogy comes from the Latin analogia, which was borrowed from the Ancient Greek term meaning "reckoning" or "proportion." It entered English to describe a comparison based on similarity of relationships rather than direct identity.