Home › Glossary › Letter R

Reverberant simile

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 comparison using like or as that emphasizes sound echoes or repetitions

Detailed Definition
A simile or comparison that reverberates or echoes throughout the poem through repetition or acoustic structure. Reverberant similes use recurring figurative language to create both semantic meaning and sonic effects, combining metaphorical comparison with acoustic emphasis. These comparisons resonate through multiple instances, creating memorable figurative language with strong acoustic presence.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats’s “Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!” uses reverberant simile comparing song to timeless art; In “Sonnet 18,” “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is reverberant simile echoing through literary history; Contemporary poet Tracy K. Smith compares stars to “God’s eyes” as reverberant simile; In “The Raven,” “Perched upon a bust of Pallas” creates reverberant simile of wisdom and doom; Student example: “Her voice like wind through broken glass” as reverberant simile of fragility.
Additional Notes
A simile that reverberates or echoes throughout the poem. Comparison repeated or structured to create acoustic effect. Combines figurative language with sonic repetition. Creates both semantic and phonetic emphasis.
Also Known As
repetitive simile echoing figure reverberating comparison cyclical likeness Echoic simile
Skip to main content