as in figurative
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
"a candidate running for office" is just a figural expression
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Recent Examples of figural
Arrange the Charlie Brown and Snoopy figural mugs on a coffee or drink station, paired with extra-dark hot chocolate, caramel apple cider, or spiced coffee.
—
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2025
Abstract painters, figural painters, composers, language poets . . .
—Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
The company dates back to the late 1930s and is known for its sweet candles in figural shapes such as Santas, snowmen, and carolers.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
But for his own figural edification, Degas made lots of small sculptures, mostly of dancers, horses and bathers, subjects that also populated his paintings.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for figural
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2025
Abstract painters, figural painters, composers, language poets . . .
—Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2025
The company dates back to the late 1930s and is known for its sweet candles in figural shapes such as Santas, snowmen, and carolers.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
But for his own figural edification, Degas made lots of small sculptures, mostly of dancers, horses and bathers, subjects that also populated his paintings.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for figural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figural
Adjective
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And when figurative financial belts are tightened, nonessential goods like snacks oftentimes land on the chopping block (which, in turn, could lead to literal belt-tightening).—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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His instincts anticipated the figurative starter’s pistol.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet if Love’s last pass had stayed in the air a tick longer, the owner’s feet, at least in a metaphorical sense, may not have touched the ground for a long, long time.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Each of the three biographies—any good biography—vibrates with the intensity of its author’s possession by their subject and the thrill of exhumation, if only metaphoric.—
Megan Marshall
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Contemporary fiction as it is practiced today in many mainstream forms is honed to that rapid symbolic interpretation.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
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Even they’re relegated to little more than supporting players and symbolic representations of troubled youth straight out of a BBC kitchen-sink passion play.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Figural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figural. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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