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

Conflict reached a height of intensity during the Kennedy administration, when an assertive American president figuratively collided directly with imperious President Charles de Gaulle of France. —Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

Davis presided over the event both figuratively and physically, sitting at a table on the stage. —John Ross, Vanity Fair, 1 Feb. 2026

It's got a little sparkle, literally and figuratively. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026

Technology and Data Have Democratized the Globe Investing globally used to feel foreign, literally and figuratively. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above