figuration

American  

[fig-yuh-ray-shuhn] / ˌfɪg jəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of shaping into a particular figure.

2. the resulting figure or shape.

   emblematic figurations of the sun and the moon.

3. the act of representing figuratively.

4. a figurative representation.

   allegorical figurations.

5. the act of marking or adorning with a design.

6. Music.

   1. the employment of passing notes or other embellishments.

   2. the figuring of a bass part.

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figuration British  

/ ˌfɪɡəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. music

   1. the employment of characteristic patterns of notes, esp in variations on a theme

   2. decoration or florid ornamentation in general

2. the act or an instance of representing figuratively, as by means of allegory or emblem

3. a figurative or emblematic representation

4. the act of decorating with a design

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Etymology

Origin of figuration

1400–50; late Middle English figuracioun < Latin figūrātiōn- (stem of figūrātiō ) “a shaping” ( see figure ( def. )) + -ion

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

figuration

Joan Vila-Grau’s brilliantly hued stained-glass windows seem suspended between abstraction and figuration, never resolving the tension.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

They brilliantly bridge figuration and abstraction by letting the dressed body tell the story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Well before the current market craze over Black figuration, Thomas was exploring the Black female figure.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024

His sculptures from this time look like whimsical industrial castoffs or colorful yet mangled theatrical masks, toeing the line between objects and bodies, abstraction and figuration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2023

The versatility of the man, his genius as composer and pianist, the novelty of his figuration and form dazzled his contemporaries or else blinded them to his true import.

From Unicorns by James Huneker

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