What does analogize mean?
Analogize is a formal English verb meaning to draw a comparison between two things by treating one as analogous to the other, or more broadly to reason by analogy. When we analogize, we take a familiar case and map it onto an unfamiliar one, suggesting that what holds true for the first may illuminate the second. A scientist might analogize the human heart to a pump; a historian might analogize the fall of one empire to another. The verb usually appears with 'to' or 'with' ('she analogized the brain to a computer') and is at home in academic, legal, and scientific prose rather than casual conversation. Derived from the Greek-rooted noun 'analogy', it belongs to a family including 'analogous' and 'analogue'. Its value lies in its explicit acknowledgment that a comparison is being made — unlike a metaphor, which asserts identity, analogizing signals reasoned, structured comparison.
verbTo draw a comparison or parallel between two things, treating one as analogous to the other; to reason by analogy.
- To compare two things on the basis of a shared similarity, presenting or regarding them as analogous (often with 'to' or 'with').
- To reason by means of analogy — inferring that because two things are alike in some respects, they may be alike in others.
"The biologist analogized the spread of the virus to the diffusion of a gas through a membrane."
"Critics have analogized the internet's early growth to the wild expansion of the American railroad network in the nineteenth century."
"In her lecture, she encouraged students to analogize unfamiliar mathematical structures to everyday objects they already understood."
Every scientific breakthrough you've ever read about likely began with someone analogizing something familiar onto something unknown.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of analogize
Analogize derives from the Greek 'analogia', meaning 'proportion' or 'according to due ratio', formed from 'ana-' ('up to' or 'according to') plus 'logos' ('ratio' or 'reason'). The term passed into Latin as 'analogia' and entered English via French, where 'analogy' was established by the sixteenth century. The verb 'analogize' was formed from this noun, first appearing in English in the seventeenth century as reasoning by analogy became central to philosophical and scientific method. It shares its Greek root with cognates such as 'analogous' and 'analogue', all carrying the core idea of proportionate correspondence between things.
Word family
Usage notes
Analogize is a formal or academic register word, appearing most often in scholarly writing, philosophy, science, and law. It typically takes 'to', 'with', or 'between' to indicate what is being compared. The verb is transitive when naming the thing compared ('analogize X to Y') and can also be used intransitively ('the tendency to analogize'). British usage occasionally prefers the spelling 'analogise'.
Don't confuse with
To apologize is to express regret for a fault; to analogize is to draw a comparison between two unlike things — they share a similar sound but nothing else.