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
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of figurative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English figuratif, fygurative, from Old French figuratif, from Late Latin figūrātīvus; see origin at figure ( def. ), -ative
Explanation
When speech or writing is not literal, it is figurative, like when you say you have a ton of homework. You don't really have 2000 pounds of homework, do you? Also, when art depicts a figure from life it is figurative, like a figurative drawing of a dancer. The adjective figurative comes from the Old French word figuratif, which means “metaphorical.” Any figure of speech — a statement or phrase not intended to be understood literally — is figurative. You say your hands are frozen, or you are so hungry you could eat a horse. That's being figurative. In art, figure means "human or animal form," so a figurative drawing might show horses running across a field.
Vocabulary lists containing figurative
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
Harmonia Rosales’ Black figurative paintings combine Eurocentric artistic traditions with African diasporic cosmologies as a way to course-correct the historical erasure of Black images from classical narratives.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
"The most important centre of Islamic civilisation in the 15th century endorsed figurative art," he added.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
When the Pratts recently redid their bathroom, Gina Pratt explained, Harvey couldn’t hold back from sculpting small, figurative frescoes into the spackle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Along with very old figurative and narrative paintings from Sulawesi, a new consensus is being shaped; that there was a much deeper and more widespread story of creativity, Aubert told BBC News.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
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.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
