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
As we are never returned to any figural baseline, our eyes are increasingly ungrounded.
—
Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for figural
Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for figural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figural
Adjective
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The Aztecs, though, somehow maintained their footing in the figurative sense Tuesday and didn’t fall.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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Andrzejek thinks the Gophers (7-5) will punch above their figurative weight.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The tides—both the literal and the metaphorical ones within us—become more palpable.—
Danijela Pilic,
Glamour,
3 Jan. 2026
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But both Yemi and her bodyguard/fiancée Ennova Grey fear that the princess may never be able to swim back to the surface from Ursla’s literal and metaphorical darkness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Back when Petro was a guerrilla, the M-19 carried out a symbolic operation to steal a sword that once belonged to the nineteenth-century liberator Simón Bolívar.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
15 Jan. 2026
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The challenge for Washington lies in avoiding the false choice between regime change by force, with unforeseen consequences, and spectacular but cynically symbolic action.—
Ali Vaez,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figural. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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