figurative

[ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]

/ ˈfɪg yər ə tɪv /

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See synonyms for figurative on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of the nature of or involving afigure 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR figurative

1 metaphorical, not literal, symbolic.

3 ornate, ornamental, flowery, elaborate, florid, grandiloquent.

See synonyms for figurative on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Origin of figurative

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English figuratif, fygurative, from Old French figuratif, from Late Latin figūrātīvus; see origin at figure, -ative

OTHER WORDS FROM figurative

fig·ur·a·tive·ly, adverbfig·ur·a·tive·ness, nounnon·fig·ur·a·tive, adjectivenon·fig·ur·a·tive·ness, noun

sem·i·fig·ur·a·tive, adjectivesem·i·fig·ur·a·tive·ness, nounun·fig·ur·a·tive, adjectiveun·fig·ur·a·tive·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH figurative

figuratively , literally, virtually

Words nearby figurative

figurant, figurante, figurate, figurate number, figuration, figurative, figurative language, figuratively, figure, figured, figured bass

How to use figurative in a sentence

Thus, these thousands of known exoplanets are only the tip of the figurative exoplanet iceberg.
Where Aliens Could Be Watching Us - Issue 106: Intelligent Life|Lisa Kaltenegger|September 16, 2021|Nautilus
This is when he switched from abstraction to a style of figurative art engaged both with brute politics and the existential comedy and influenced by underground comics.
Museums are still mounting major exhibitions this fall, with no shortage of big-name artists|Sebastian Smee|September 10, 2021|Washington Post
If we retain these essential accommodations, we can open the figurative office doors to more workers with disabilities than ever before.
If Employers Are Serious About Meaningful Change, They Must Reorient Jobs to Center Around Workers|Darren Walker|August 12, 2021|Time
They’re warming us up for the show ahead, promising great wonders to come as they set up for us that figurative fourth wall we all love so much.
Annette Is Gorgeous to Look at But All the Wrong Kinds of Weird|Stephanie Zacharek|August 6, 2021|Time

Just as Google and social media have enabled each of us to reach into the figurative diaries and desk drawers of anyone we might be curious about, law enforcement agencies today have access to powerful new engines of data processing and association.
Inside the rise of police department real-time crime centers|Rowan Moore Gerety|April 19, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Bauer literally had a Rosebud moment, but may not have had a figurative one.
We All Have a Rosebud in Our Pasts|Sam Roberts|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No, says the confused C.K, who expected the figurative nature of his statement to be obvious.
The Movement for Patient Access to Doctors’ Notes Is Growing|Janelle Dumalaon|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cheshire is less interested in the literal, chromosomal answer than the figurative one.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Dec. 2, 2013|Mythili Rao and Thomas Flynn, Mythili Rao, Thomas Flynn|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In that moment, Will has fully embraced the figurative dark side.
In The Good Wife’s Explosive ‘Hitting the Fan,’ That’s Exactly What Happens|Chancellor Agard|October 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In a figurative way, palimpsest refers to an object or place that reflects its own history.
The Thief of Words: Starling Lawrence|Jill Bialosky|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To use your figurative language, when this wormeaten monarchy is broken, what will come out of the ruins?
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas
There is a generally accepted division of language into literal and figurative.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
When a person says, “He is a bright boy,” he has used the word “bright” in a sense that is not literal; the use is figurative.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
Figurative language employs words with meanings not strictly literal, but varying from their ordinary definitions.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
The concentrations are figurative, but may be taken to represent actual concentrations, such as 0.015 molar, etc.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2.|Julius Stieglitz

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

figurative

OTHER WORDS FOR figurative

Origin of figurative

OTHER WORDS FROM figurative

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH figurative

Words nearby figurative

Words related to figurative

How to use figurative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for figurative

Derived forms of figurative