figuratively

adverb

fig·​u·​ra·​tive·​ly ˈfi-g(y)ə-rə-tiv-lē 

: in a figurative way: such as

a

: with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal

Speaking of panic, I recently ran into (figuratively, not literally) a friend who was ranting about giant "bees" digging holes in his lawn.

—Ron Kujawski

Poor small-town America. During the last gasps of this fevered election, pollsters, zealous campaign foot soldiers and reporters are kicking down its doors, figuratively speaking …

—Doug Colligan

b

: in a way intended to represent the form or figure of something or someone having objective reality : in a way that is not purely abstract

Franz Kline, who had always painted figuratively, made his breakthrough in 1949 when he looked at one of his sketches in a Bell-Opticon magnifier, and saw the rough, thrusting horizontals and verticals that became the basis of his new abstract style.

—Calvin Tomkins

Examples of figuratively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Okoro will, literally and figuratively, lead the charge. —Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Drawing tens of thousands of people, the event itself is literally and figuratively centered around its namesake wooden man, which is ultimately burned to the ground each year. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025

The destruction of the horns was a heavy loss for Danes, both literally and figuratively. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025

John Dower’s thrilling documentary follows the ups-and-downs (literally and figuratively) of the odd couple Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as the two men attempt to make history. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above