figurative

American  

[fig-yer-uh-tiv] / ˈfɪg yər ə tɪv /

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.

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figurative British  

/ 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

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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

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.

Example Sentences

We know this because the Murdochs’ family squabbles spilled into the news, late-night monologues and the figurative streets of social media at the height of their struggles.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

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

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

Paintings of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are still entirely figurative; Kandinsky’s first abstract painting did not emerge until 1910.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• allegorical
• descriptive
• fanciful
• florid
• metaphoric
• metaphorical
• pictorial