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

June came in hot — literally and figuratively — with our readers wasting no time snapping up warm-weather staples as summer hit its stride. —Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 9 July 2025

Certain clothes will keep you feeling cool, literally and figuratively. —Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 July 2025

Fisherman core Sagittarius is adventurous and layered, both literally and figuratively. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 July 2025

In the high-octane racing drama produced by and co-starring Brad Pitt, the British actor steps into the driver’s seat—literally and figuratively—as a rising Formula 1 star navigating life on and off the track. —Okla Jones, Essence, 27 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above