as in metaphorical
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
the figurative use of "allergy" to mean "a feeling of dislike"
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Recent Examples of figurative
What is the price of assimilation, both in terms of the literal suffering of people and the figurative suffering of the soul of Jewish people at large?
—
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
And those words were justifiably met with figurative eye rolls quite a bit.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2025
The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides water to farmers in the southeastern corner of California, drew a figurative line in the sand earlier this month, calling for a halt to the conversion of agricultural fields into solar panel farms.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 17 July 2025
Our 2008 rudimentary data analytics revealed these anomalies, a figurative abacus compared to the sophisticated analytics technology OIGs and federal staff have nowadays.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
And those words were justifiably met with figurative eye rolls quite a bit.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2025
The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides water to farmers in the southeastern corner of California, drew a figurative line in the sand earlier this month, calling for a halt to the conversion of agricultural fields into solar panel farms.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 17 July 2025
Our 2008 rudimentary data analytics revealed these anomalies, a figurative abacus compared to the sophisticated analytics technology OIGs and federal staff have nowadays.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figurative
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Feigenbaum argues the project continues largely for symbolic reasons and because of political pressure.—
Tina Li,
Sacbee.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Their deaths marked not just the end of two singular careers, but the symbolic closing of a cultural chapter — one where larger-than-life personas still had to be built in real time, without hashtags or viral cycles to carry them.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Figurative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figurative. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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