metaphorical

American  

[met-uh-fawr-i-kuhl, -for-] / ˌmɛt əˈfɔr ɪ kəl, -ˈfɒr- /

Also metaphoric

adjective

1. involving, invoking, or intended to be taken as a metaphor, something used symbolically to represent something else, suggesting a comparison or resemblance.

   Our foreign policy blunder has given the insurgents a metaphorical green light to engage in violent tactics in pursuit of their imperial ambitions.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• semimetaphoric
  adjective
• hypermetaphoric
  adjective
• nonmetaphorical
  adjective
• metaphoricalness
  noun
• hypermetaphorical
  adjective
• nonmetaphoric
  adjective
• submetaphorical
  adjective
• semimetaphorical
  adjective
• metaphorically
  adverb
• submetaphoric
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of metaphorical

First recorded in 1560–70; metaphor ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Explanation

Something is metaphorical when you use it to stand for, or symbolize, another thing. For example, a dark sky in a poem might be a metaphorical representation of sadness. You'll find yourself using the adjective metaphorical all the time if you take a poetry class; poems are usually full of metaphors. People use metaphorical language in everyday speech too, like when you say something like, "My brain is foggy today." Metaphorical comes from the Greek word meaning "a transfer," metaphora, which is itself made up of meta, "over," and pherein, "to carry."

Example Sentences

And yet the language we use to describe space-time is often vague, metaphorical and deeply inconsistent.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

Matching the level of support at Wimbledon in 1973 will take some doing because, as in any workplace, there will be players prepared to cross a metaphorical picket line outside the entrance to Centre Court.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

That is not a metaphorical handover, but a very real and functional one.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

But with oil returning to the $100 precipice, private credit markets beset by liquidity concerns, and bond investors back on inflation watch, it may not be long before the metaphorical dams start leaking.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

Mr. Reed tells students they have to interview someone—a mother or father or grandparent—about their own portages, the moments in their lives when they’ve had to take a journey, literal or metaphorical.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• allegorical
• descriptive
• metaphoric
• symbolic