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
However, giving in to January’s grayness — both literal and figural — is not the only option.
—
Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The figural birds are crafted in platinum and 18-karat gold with gemstones — appearing to perch upon the wearer.
—Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
As we are never returned to any figural baseline, our eyes are increasingly ungrounded.
—Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Austria, Germany, and Japan became famous for exporting figural bulbs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for figural
Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The figural birds are crafted in platinum and 18-karat gold with gemstones — appearing to perch upon the wearer.
—Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
As we are never returned to any figural baseline, our eyes are increasingly ungrounded.
—Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Austria, Germany, and Japan became famous for exporting figural bulbs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for figural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figural
Adjective
-
Anderson is a figurative painter in the great tradition of Bacon, Freud and Auerbach.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
3 Apr. 2026
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The following list presents the ten tallest figurative freestanding statues in the world according to their heights, excluding base-structure height and topographical elevation.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In the United States, golden statuary is rare and usually metaphoric — the Oregon Pioneer, the Golden Driller, the Spirit of Communication.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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Firms acted like the metaphorical kid in a candy store with talent, grabbing every shiny new candidate that crossed their applicant tracking system, with some, like Amazon, even doubling their headcount between 2019 and 2021.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Part of the pressure stems from the symbolic weight placed on wedding imagery.—
Sara Radin,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
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The Israel Defense Forces continued its invasion of southern Lebanon, with a fierce battle raging in the highly symbolic town of Bint Jbeil.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figural. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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