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View synonyms for

figurative

[ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]

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: ,

  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: , , , , ,

  4. representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.
  5. representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.


figurative

/ ˈɪɡəəɪ /

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈھܰپԱ, noun
  • ˈھܰپ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ھ·ܰ··پ· adverb
  • ھ·ܰ··پ·Ա noun
  • ԴDz·ھ·ܰ··پ adjective
  • non·ھ·ܰ··پ·Ա noun
  • ··ھ·ܰ··پ adjective
  • sem·i·ھ·ܰ··پ·Ա noun
  • ܲ·ھ·ܰ··پ adjective
  • un·ھ·ܰ··پ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of figurative1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English figuratif, fygurative, from Old French figuratif, from Late Latin ھūīܲ; figure ( def ), -ative
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Our neighbors and co-workers have risen up around us, picking us up out of the literal and figurative ashes.

From

He said there was constant abuse: "I witnessed a young woman who was being tortured by the terrorist. I mean literal torture, not just in the figurative sense."

From

“At festivals like this, you get the opportunity to have a wider audience and have a bigger figurative and literal stage,” said Bengston.

From

Goode’s painterly retort — still lifes that held the abstract and the figurative in taut equilibrium — brilliantly neutralized that argument, while adding depth to the object/image dichotomy.

From

Beneath every figurative form he creates, there is a grid-like sequence compelling us to question the latent networks in not only what we see, but how we respond.

From

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figurationfigurative language