variants
or metaphorical
as in figurative
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
an author fond of such metaphorical phrases as "the desert was a fiery furnace"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of metaphoric
In my own life there was nothing metaphorical about the moving of those tectonic plates.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
The journey has been metaphorical, too.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The play takes ample metaphorical advantage of both couch and void.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
Price is deliciously diabolical in the film, which is full of literal and metaphorical trap doors and secret passageways.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Projects engage critical questions of ecology, migration, identity, religion, and architecture, and excavate both metaphorical and literal prisons.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
In the canonical metaphorical example, a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and the cascading sequence of atmospheric perturbations leads to a tornado in Texas.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
That grounding effect is more than metaphorical.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Diplomacy appeared to be another—and not just in the metaphorical sense.
—Karl Vick, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
The journey has been metaphorical, too.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The play takes ample metaphorical advantage of both couch and void.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
Price is deliciously diabolical in the film, which is full of literal and metaphorical trap doors and secret passageways.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Projects engage critical questions of ecology, migration, identity, religion, and architecture, and excavate both metaphorical and literal prisons.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
In the canonical metaphorical example, a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and the cascading sequence of atmospheric perturbations leads to a tornado in Texas.
—Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
That grounding effect is more than metaphorical.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Diplomacy appeared to be another—and not just in the metaphorical sense.
—Karl Vick, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphoric
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
-
Her poem is about her broken home, literal and figurative.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
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
-
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
“Metaphoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphoric. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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