Synonyms of metaphoric

metaphoric

adjective

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

• figurative
• figural
• symbolic
• tropological
• tropical
• extended
• allegorical
• emblematic
• euphemistic
• nonliteral
• veritable
• Aesopian
• catachrestic
• sylleptic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• literal
• nonfigurative
• nonmetaphorical
• nonsymbolic

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of metaphoric

Lush layers of melody and instrumentation submerges the listener in both metaphoric thought and shifting moods. — Lina Lecaro, SPIN, 18 Aug. 2026

These forces could be imagined as two beings and, by metaphoric extension, as male and female. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Souleymane’s journey’s is sluiced by simple but touching scenes such as his bonding with his brother sewing and with grandfather praying and metaphorical shots of the wash of the ocean on Dakar’s beaches. — John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026

With the metaphorical jet fumes already swirling on Capitol Hill, some are at least threatening to potentially put their colleagues on the record for or against adjourning until September. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

The monsters are mostly metaphorical in this book, but the middle school emotions are vividly real. — Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026

But the illicit art is only part of the operatic tale of the literal rise and metaphorical fall of what have become informally known as the graffiti towers. — Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

What happens if the characters’ attempts to move past true love’s first kiss run into a metaphorical — or perhaps vaginal — brick wall? — Hayley Fleming, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Messi, though, was overcome with the emotion of having assisted on two lethal goals that put a metaphorical sword right through King Harry’s chest. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026