figurative
Americanadjective
-
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
-
metaphorically so called.
His remark was a figurative boomerang.
-
abounding in or fond of figures of speech.
Elizabethan poetry is highly figurative.
- Synonyms:
- grandiloquent, florid, elaborate, flowery, ornamental, ornate
-
representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.
-
representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.
adjective
-
of the nature of, resembling, or involving a figure of speech; not literal; metaphorical
-
using or filled with figures of speech
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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
Other Word Forms
- figuratively adverb
- figurativeness noun
- nonfigurative adjective
- nonfigurativeness noun
- semifigurative adjective
- semifigurativeness noun
- unfigurative adjective
- unfigurativeness noun
Etymology
Origin of figurative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English figuratif, fygurative, from Old French figuratif, from Late Latin figūrātīvus; figure ( def. ), -ative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The concept of a theater family is both literal and figurative in “American Classic,” and while there might be a revival—as in a second season—one hopes not.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
He also paid for windows with geometric designs rather than traditional figurative scenes, in line with Islamic rulings against the drawings of creatures.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
"The most important centre of Islamic civilisation in the 15th century endorsed figurative art," he added.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
These details are both important and relevant to the figurative subtweet Bravo is sending through “Zola.”
From Salon • Jul. 5, 2021
St. John’s eyes, though clear enough in a literal sense, in a figurative one were difficult to fathom.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
