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figurative

[ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]
/ ˈfɪg yər ə tɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR figurative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, especially a metaphor; metaphorical and not literal: The word “head” has several figurative senses, as in “She's the head of the company.”
metaphorically so called: His remark was a figurative boomerang.
abounding in or fond of figures of speech: Elizabethan poetry is highly figurative.
representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.
representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.

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Origin of figurative

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin figūrātīvus (see figure) + -ive; replacing Middle English figuratif < Middle French

OTHER WORDS FROM figurative

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH figurative

figuratively literally virtually (see usage note at literally)

Words nearby figurative

figurant, figurante, figurate, figurate number, figuration, figurative, figurative language, figure, figure and ground, figure eight, figure eight suture
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to figurative

descriptive, allegorical, metaphorical, florid, fanciful, pictorial, metaphoric, flowery, illustrative, ornate, representative, typical, denotative, emblematic, emblematical, poetical, signifying

Example sentences from the Web for figurative

British Dictionary definitions for figurative

figurative
/ (ˈfɪɡərətɪv) /

adjective

of the nature of, resembling, or involving a figure of speech; not literal; metaphorical
using or filled with figures of speech
representing by means of an emblem, likeness, figure, etc
(in painting, sculpture, etc) of, relating to, or characterized by the naturalistic representation of the external world

Derived forms of figurative

figuratively, adverbfigurativeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012