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

That’s when a coworking space became my north star, literally and figuratively. —Sarah Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

That was evident to some extent in college, but this is a different ballgame, both literally and figuratively. —Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025

The main lodge, a barn-style building that houses the restaurant Sugarloaf and an impressive bar, centers on a massive hearth that both literally and figuratively radiates warmth. —Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2025

Some destinations are just too hot – literally and figuratively – to handle this summer. —Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above