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

How the city addresses these challenges in the coming months will determine its character both physically and figuratively for a generation or more. —Mark Lamster architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026

Unfortunately, not everyone in the hockey world is ready for the couple to play on the same team, literally and figuratively. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Jan. 2026

The Jaguars are here — figuratively now, literally soon. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026

Long shielded by her husband from the nitty-gritty of a figuratively and often physically dirty industry, Cami must transform herself from dutiful wife to energy executive powerhouse. —Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above