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figurative
[ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]
/ ĖfÉŖg yÉr É tÉŖv /
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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
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Origin of figurative
OTHER WORDS FROM figurative
Words nearby figurative
figurant, figurante, figurate, figurate number, figuration, figurative, figurative language, figuratively, figure, figured, figured bass
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use figurative in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for figurative
figurative
/ (ĖfÉŖÉ”ÉrÉtÉŖv) /
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, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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