as in metaphorical
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
the figurative use of "allergy" to mean "a feeling of dislike"
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Recent Examples of figurative
Is a choice made with a figurative but potentially literal gun to one’s head even a real choice?
—
Judy Berman, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
McCarthy came to Congress as a fighter in both the figurative and the most literal sense.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
And this new name comes with a new message, new designs blending the graphic and the figurative — and new ambitions.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Our top picks include figurative candles shaped like cake, summer scents to whisk you away from winter, and unique bubble glass holders.
—Kaitlin Gates, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
Judy Berman, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
McCarthy came to Congress as a fighter in both the figurative and the most literal sense.
—Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
And this new name comes with a new message, new designs blending the graphic and the figurative — and new ambitions.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Our top picks include figurative candles shaped like cake, summer scents to whisk you away from winter, and unique bubble glass holders.
—Kaitlin Gates, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figurative
Adjective
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The company dates back to the late 1930s and is known for its sweet candles in figural shapes such as Santas, snowmen, and carolers.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
26 Nov. 2024
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The company dates back to the late 1930s and is known for its sweet candles in figural shapes such as Santas, snowmen, and carolers.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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On a broader avenue, people stood on the sidewalks, cheering and mourning and taking pictures with their smartphones—thousands of real-time, utterly personal interpretations of the Pope’s final symbolic journey.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2025
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Yet given everything creators Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti have communicated about Joe over the show’s five seasons, castration doesn’t quite feel satisfying as a proportional symbolic response to Joe’s tenure of terror.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Figurative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figurative. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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