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

With her husband literally (and figuratively) at sea, Linda tries to cope with the needs of her patients while caring for a child whose inability to eat has become life-threatening. —Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026

Fortunately for the Tomcats, the lanky Cross has emerged as a team leader capable of doing some heavy lifting, figuratively speaking. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026

That Becket was hungry literally and figuratively? —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Feb. 2026

So, there’s a way in which land offers, figuratively and literally, fertile space for imagining a way of life, a way of being, that can be sustainable, that can be flourishing. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above