What is an extended metaphor?

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An extended metaphor is a sustained comparison that continues across multiple lines or throughout the whole work, keeping the same image or set of images to develop meaning. By weaving the same analogy through the text, the author lets the idea unfold and deepen with each line or section—like comparing life to a journey and repeatedly returning to crossroads, destinations, and detours to explore what the journey says about human experience. That ongoing tie to one idea is what makes it extended.

So the best description fits a sustained comparison that spans more than a single phrase. A metaphor used only once is just a brief metaphor, not extended. A metaphor that relies on personification is a related device, but the defining feature of an extended metaphor is its length and continuity, not necessarily the use of personification. A metaphor limited to one phrase fails to be extended.