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

If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026

Both literally and figuratively, these appendages are the hook of the cucumber. —Andrés Muedano, JSTOR Daily, 25 Mar. 2026

The project reminded listeners that Jeezy’s voice, both literally and figuratively, still carries weight. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Tommy is presented as so miserable, and so literally and figuratively haunted in The Immortal Man, that death feels like the only way to wrap up his story. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above