figurative

English

Etymology

From Middle French figuratif

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfɪɡjʊɹətɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     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; representative
   • Hooker

     This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity.

   • J. A. Symonds

     They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form.

Usage notes

• Said of language, expression, etc.

Antonyms

• literal

Derived terms

• figurativeness
• figuratively

Related terms

• figure

Translations

metaphorical; not literal

• Arabic: اِسْتِعَارِيّ‎‎ (istiʿāriyy), مَجَازِيّ‎‎ (majāziyy), رَمْزِيّ‎‎ (ramziyy)
• Azerbaijani: məcazi (az)
• Bulgarian: преносен (bg) (prenosen), метафоричен (bg) (metaforičen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 比喻 (zh) (bǐyù), 象徵 (zh), 象征 (zh) (xiàngzhēng)

• Czech: přenesený, metaforický, obrazný
• Estonian: kujundlik
• Finnish: kuvaannollinen (fi)
• French: figuratif (fr), figuré (fr)
• Galician: figurativo m
• Georgian: მეტაფორული (meṭaporuli), ხატოვანი (xaṭovani)
• German: bildlich (de), figürlich (de), metaphorisch (de), symbolisch (de), übertragen (de), uneigentlich (de), verblümt
• Greek: μεταφορικός (el) (metaforikós)
• Hungarian: átvitt (hu), képletes (hu), jelképes (hu)
• Italian: figurativo (it)

• Japanese: 比喩的な (ja) (ひゆてきな, hiyuteki-na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: billedlig

  Nynorsk: biletleg

• Occitan: figurat
• Portuguese: figurativo (pt)
• Romanian: figurativ (ro) m, n
• Russian: перено́сный (ru) (perenósnyj), о́бразный (ru) (óbraznyj), фигура́льный (ru) (figurálʹnyj), метафори́ческий (ru) (metaforíčeskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: samhlachail
• Spanish: figurativo, figurado (es)
• Swedish: figurativ (sv)
• Turkish: mecazi (tr)
• Vietnamese: nghĩa bóng (vi)

metaphorically so called

• Bulgarian: преносен (bg) (prenosen)
• German: im übertragenen Sinne

• Hungarian: átvitt értelemben
• Occitan: figurat

with many figures of speech

• Bulgarian: образен (bg) (obrazen)
• German: bilderreich

• Greek: πολύσημος (el) m (polýsimos)
• Occitan: figurat

emblematic

• German: sinnbildlich (de), symbolisch (de)
• Greek: εικαστικός (el) m (eikastikós)

• Hungarian: jelképes (hu), szimbolikus (hu)
• Occitan: figurat, figuratiu

Further reading

• 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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French

Adjective

figurative

1. feminine singular of figuratif

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German

Adjective

figurative

1. inflected form of figurativ

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Italian

Adjective

figurative

1. feminine plural of figurativo

Anagrams

• figuratevi