figurative

English

Adjective

figurative (comparative more figurative, superlative most figurative)

1. Metaphorical or tropical, as opposed to literal; using figures; as of the use of "cats and dogs" in the phrase "It's raining cats and dogs".
   • 2005 May 1, “The Sea of Love”, New York Times:

     The lovers she seems to pursue with her figurative language in fact retreat under the barrage of similes, metaphors and fables.

2. Metaphorically so called
3. With many figures of speech
4. Emblematic

Usage notes

• Said of language, expression, etc.

Antonyms

• literal

Derived terms

• figurativeness
• figuratively

Related terms

• figure

Translations

metaphorical; not literal

Arabic: استعاري (ar) (isti3ariy), مجازي (ar) (majaaziy), رمزي (ar) (ramziy) Chinese: Mandarin: 比喻 (cmn) (bǐyù), 象徵 (cmn), 象征 (cmn) (xiàngzhēng) Czech: obrazný (cs) Finnish: kuvaannollinen (fi) French: figuratif (fr), figuré (fr) German: bildlich (de), figürlich (de), symbolisch (de), übertragen (de), metaphorisch (de) Hungarian: átvitt (hu), képletes (hu), jelképes (hu)

Italian: figurativo (it) Japanese: 比喩的な (ja) (ひゆてきな, hiyuteki-na) Romanian: figurativ (ro) m. and n. Russian: переносный (ru) (perenósnyj), образный (ru) (óbraznyj), фигуральный (ru) (figurál'nyj), метафорический (ru) (metaforíčeskij) Scottish Gaelic: samhlachail (gd) Spanish: figurativo (es), figurado (es) Swedish: figurativ (sv) Turkish: mecazi (tr)

metaphorically so called

German: im übertragenen Sinne (de)

Hungarian: átvitt értelemben (hu)

with many figures of speech

German: bilderreich (de)

emblematic

German: sinnbildlich (de), symbolisch (de)

Hungarian: jelképes (hu), szimbolikus (hu)

External links

• figurative in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• figurative in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Italian

Adjective

figurative f.

1. Feminine plural form of figurativo

Anagrams

• figuratevi