Home › Glossary › Letter K

Kindred metaphor

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A metaphor that conveys deep connection or affinity by likening relationships to familial or kinship bonds.

Detailed Definition
Kindred metaphor is a figure of speech that emphasizes affinity, kinship, or shared essence between unlike things rather than mere resemblance; instead of “like” or “as,” it asserts a deeper ontological connection—“the river is my sister”—thereby collapsing hierarchy between subject and object and fostering an animistic or ecological worldview central to indigenous and eco-poetic traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Kindred metaphor links related concepts: “Time is a river” (both flow); Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage” connects life and theater; modern example: Ocean Vuong compares war trauma to “a bruise that never heals”; kindred metaphor relies on shared attributes for insight; it’s distinct from far-fetched conceit; this technique clarifies through familiar association.
Additional Notes
Kindred metaphor links unlike things through shared essence rather than surface traits; deeper than simile—focus on emotional or existential parallels.
Also Known As
Related metaphor Family comparison Kin figure Associated analogy
Skip to main content