figurative
[ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]
/ ˈfɪg yər ə tɪv /
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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Nearby words
figurant, figurante, figurate, figurate number, figuration, figurative, figurative language, figuratively, figure, figure and ground, figure eight
Origin of figurative
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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
figuratively, adverbfigurativeness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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