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

And maybe that’s what put the wind in, literally, in the sails of the—or figuratively and also literally—in the sails of those ships. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Monroe left her beauty mark on the world, both literally and figuratively. — Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

The odds are stacked against Iran, both literally and figuratively, so anything this team can accomplish will be impressive. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Summer travel to Europe is hot (both literally and figuratively), leading hotel rates to skyrocket in some places. — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above