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

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

Etymology

Origin of metaphorical

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

Example Sentences

Its narrative, as signaled by the title, depicts Mr. Lemann’s metaphorical progress from a Southern heritage in which Jewish descent was a mild social embarrassment to an enthusiastic embrace of Jewish rituals and beliefs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 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

He later apologized on X, claiming he had "badly used the expression... in a metaphorical way to mean 'fooling around'".

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Sophie, especially in that night, the mask makes her brave and courageous; when she takes off the physical mask, that’s when the metaphorical mask actually comes into play.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 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