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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Through a range of abstract, atmospheric, and figurative works, the exhibition explored the relationships between perception, memory, and the natural environment.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Nov. 2025
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Her poem is about her broken home, literal and figurative.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In my own life there was nothing metaphorical about the moving of those tectonic plates.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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The journey has been metaphorical, too.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Stripped to their symbolic essence, the erotics of Frankenstein are about the body as meat, electrified by carnal pleasure and unencumbered by the soul.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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Russian forces appear to be on the brink of finally seizing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a symbolic victory that President Vladimir Putin has been pursuing for 21 months at an increasingly heavy cost.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Figural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figural. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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