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Feb 17, 2021 · Types of metaphors in writing range from simple to complex. Learn ten different types of metaphors with these complete examples of colorful comparisons.
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- Richard Nordquist
- Absolute: A metaphor in which one of the terms (the tenor) can't be readily distinguished from the other (the vehicle).
- Complex: A metaphor in which the literal meaning is expressed through more than one figurative term (a combination of primary metaphors).
- Conceptual: A metaphor in which one idea (or conceptual domain) is understood in terms of another.
- Conventional: A familiar comparison that doesn't call attention to itself as a figure of speech.
May 23, 2024 · Though there are more than a dozen distinct types of metaphors, there are five primary types: allegorical, absolute, mixed, extended, and dead metaphors. Allegory is a metaphor that employs an extended story illustrating the comparison between two things using symbols rather than explicit words.
- Personification Metaphor
- Hyperbolic Metaphor
- Visual Metaphor
- Dead Metaphors
- Absolute Metaphor
- Conventional Metaphors
- Ontological Metaphors
- Orientational Metaphors
- Container Metaphors
- Complex Metaphor
Personification is a type of metaphor that involves describing non-human things as having human characteristics. The tenor will be non-human while the vehicle will refer to human traits. At the center of personification is the structure: [non-human] is [human]. The main thing that confuses people in personification is when you give something non-hu...
A hyperbolic metaphor is an exaggerated statement not taken literally (simply: hyperbole) that also employs metaphoric analogy. Usually, the thing being described is disproportionately smaller than the thing being analogized. For example, a person you dislike could be called a monster. Clearly, they are not literally a monster. But you are using th...
A visual metaphor is an image that forms an analogy. For people who learn best through a visual medium, sometimes looking at an image can help them to achieve understanding they wouldn’t have achieved through reading. The good thing is that you can turn many written metaphors into an image without too much hassle. You can either use a single image ...
Dead metaphors are also referred to as historical metaphors or frozen metaphors. They are metaphors that have lost their original meaning. They don’t actually make any sense anymore. The analogy is lost. Reasons a metaphor ‘dies’ or ‘freezes’ include: 1. Our language may have evolved so the metaphor no longer makes sense. 2. Words within the metaph...
An absolute metaphor occurs when the tenor and vehicle are completely unrelated. In other words, the analogy is almost indecipherable and probably requires more context or explanation for it to make sense. You might find that many dead metaphors are also absolute, because a part of the definition of a dead metaphor is that the connecting between th...
A conventional metaphor is a figure of speech that has become an integral part of our language system. It is part of our language convention. It’s almost impossible not to use them because we need them to community. And you use them so often that you don’t even know it. We can split conventional metaphors into three different types: 1. Ontological ...
An ontological metaphor is one of the types of metaphors that we often provide the umbrella term ‘conventional metaphor’. Ontological metaphors compare non-physical things (events, emotions, activities, ideas) to physical things. We will say that a non-physical thing (let’s say, happiness) has physical traits (say, fragility). Here, I’ve just const...
An orientational metaphor is another type of conventional metaphor. Orientational metaphors use space and direction (forward, backward, toward, above, on top of, below, close, far) to describe something. You may find that orientational metaphors often overlap with another type of metaphor: the container metaphor, which I discuss next. In fact, you ...
A container metaphor is a type of orientational metaphor that refers to: 1. Figuratively being inside or outside something. 2. Figuratively holding something. Adjectives and prepositions commonly used in container metaphors include ‘inside’, ‘outside’, ‘empty’, ‘full’, ‘in the hands of’, ‘drained’, ‘overflowing’, etc.
Complex metaphors are also known as compound metaphors. A complex metaphor occurs when you stack two or more metaphors on top of one another. Often, it will include a metaphor inside another metaphor. Confused? It’s like a complex sentence where one thing is said then there’s a comma and you add something else. But a complex metaphor makes one meta...
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which two completely unlike things are compared by saying that one thing is the other one without joining the phrase “like” or “as.”. Using metaphors, we capture some abstract concepts by relating them to more general or simpler patterns.
Discover the most common types of metaphors that writers and poets regularly use in their works. The definition of metaphor is a figure of speech applied to an action or object which is abstract rather than literal.
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Metaphor is a figurative expression for stylistic effect. It doesn’t describe things directly; instead, it compares them in an indirect way. Metaphors are classified in many ways. Each type has its own uniqueness, and I’ll discuss common types with examples.
