nonliteral

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nonliteral In addition, neurodivergent women, such as those with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may be excluded from whisper networks because information is often shared using indirect or nonliteral language. Carrie Ann Johnson, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2023 Thirsty, even, in its most nonliteral meaning. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2021 The New York Times is concerned about its subscribers’ intolerance for opposing views, not about nonliteral terminology about opposing pages. Nicholas Clairmont, Washington Examiner, 29 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonliteral
Adjective
  • Bring a group, grab a booth and order a veritable buffet featuring all the soul food and all the sunshine (oxtail, shrimp, ackee and salt fish, curries, more) along with dessert options.
    Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
  • The more immediate concern may be the fact that the IRS currently takes an average of 20 months to resolve cases for identity theft victims—a veritable millennia for individuals that did everything right but still found their refunds frozen.
    Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • For the first time since the 1980s, the Islamic Republic faced a direct military assault from another regional power that targeted not only its military assets, but the symbolic and political heart of the regime itself.
    Sanam Vakil, Time, 26 June 2025
  • All these factors may lead observers to conclude that any Iranian response to the United States’ bombing will be limited or only symbolic.
    Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • For them, animals traditionally sacrificed, such as goats and chickens, served as allegorical figures for activists who endured sacrificial violence and suffering under apartheid.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Instead, the filmmakers appear to have returned to a story whose allegorical commentary on today’s grim political landscape seems more relevant than ever.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Nonliteral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonliteral. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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