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

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

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

Intent on keeping the band’s image clean, and fearful of his own exposure, Epstein ventured to some dark places, metaphorical and otherwise, leaving himself open to blackmail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

After taking in the exhibit, attendees can draw their own conclusions about the land’s role as a “geographical and metaphorical space of promise, struggle, and belonging.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

All of this is rain on Warsh’s metaphorical parade ahead of his White House swearing in ceremony on Friday.

From Barron's • May 20, 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