metaphor
n. a figure of speech (see figurative language) in which a word or phrase is applied to an object, person, or action that it does not literally denote (e.g., the journey of life) for the purpose of creating a forceful analogy. If the analogy is explicitly stated as such (e.g., life is like a journey), the figure is not a metaphor but a simile. —metaphorical or metaphoric
adj.