metaphorically

[met-uh-fawr-ik-lee, -for-]

adverb

1. in a way that constitutes a metaphor, a figure of speech that refers to one thing in terms of another, suggesting a resemblance between the two.

   The native Romani word “drakhalin,” whose literal meaning is “grapevine,” is often used metaphorically to mean the internet.

2. figuratively speaking; not literally.

   We are metaphorically on top of the world over his success and look forward to his return.

3. as a symbol or emblem representing something else.

   In various biblical contexts, salt is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, value, and purification.

Other Word Forms

• nonmetaphorically adverb
• semimetaphorically adverb
• submetaphorically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaphorically¹

metaphorical ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

By fashioning this portrait of Lawrence to capture his spirit, and by shooting a satellite honoring Lawrence into orbit, Strachan wanted to metaphorically help him achieve that goal.

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Fosse suggests, through the Emcee, that though the West’s relationship to queerness may bear the pattern of a sine wave, the Grande Human Cabaret can never metaphorically or spiritually close.

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This is a story of opening boxes, physically and metaphorically.

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“It’s easy to lose a spacecraft. That’s the weird, symbolic aspect of this. They’re our eyes to the cosmos. This is us metaphorically closing our eyes.”

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His latest book, "Is A River Alive?," asks that question not metaphorically but urgently, inviting us to rethink our relationship with the natural world at a fundamental level.

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