figurative

[fig-yer-uh-tiv]

adjective

1. 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."

   Synonyms: symbolic, metaphorical

2. metaphorically so called.

   His remark was a figurative boomerang.

3. abounding in or fond of figures of speech.

   Elizabethan poetry is highly figurative.

   Synonyms: grandiloquent, florid, elaborate, flowery, ornamental, ornate

4. representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.

5. representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.

figurative

/ ˈfɪɡərətɪv /

adjective

1. of the nature of, resembling, or involving a figure of speech; not literal; metaphorical

2. using or filled with figures of speech

3. representing by means of an emblem, likeness, figure, etc

4. (in painting, sculpture, etc) of, relating to, or characterized by the naturalistic representation of the external world

Other Word Forms

• figuratively adverb
• figurativeness noun
• nonfigurative adjective
• nonfigurativeness noun
• semifigurative adjective
• semifigurativeness noun
• unfigurative adjective
• unfigurativeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of figurative¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English figuratif, fygurative, from Old French figuratif, from Late Latin figūrātīvus; figure ( def. ), -ative

Example Sentences

A boy with one eye sees the world differently than everyone else, but it didn’t take long for Mike Burry to see his literal distinction in more figurative terms.

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At its base, in a position of figurative support, are enslaved Parthians in the custody of their new Roman masters.

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Of greater success are her more saturated works that crank up the figurative elements while also embracing more abstract settings.

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Sometimes, the comparisons inspire close looking, as in the placement of a modern female nude drawing by Amedeo Modigliani next to ancient marble figurative sculptures from Greece and Rome.

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These details are both important and relevant to the figurative subtweet Bravo is sending through “Zola.”

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Related Words

• allegorical 
• descriptive 
• fanciful 
• florid 
• metaphoric www.thesaurus.com
• metaphorical 
• pictorial