as in metaphorical
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
the figurative use of "allergy" to mean "a feeling of dislike"
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Recent Examples of figurative
Art also typically plays a key role in Erdem’s collections: this time, the eponymous designer partnered with Kaye Donachie, a Scottish painter known for her figurative works, on appliques hand-drawn onto gauzy fabrics, which made the models look like walking watercolor paintings.
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Leah Dolan, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Onward: News to Know Embiid’s uncertain future Pain has overshadowed Joel Embiid’s 2024-25 season, both in the literal and figurative sense.
—Chris Branch, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Stan plays Trump, his looks this time buried underneath both considerable physical makeup and all the figurative baggage viewers bring to the subject.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
Now on its final chapter, Cartier’s Nature Sauvage high jewelry collection pushed further the figurative fantasies that stage animals in imaginary locales and situations.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
Leah Dolan, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Onward: News to Know Embiid’s uncertain future Pain has overshadowed Joel Embiid’s 2024-25 season, both in the literal and figurative sense.
—Chris Branch, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Stan plays Trump, his looks this time buried underneath both considerable physical makeup and all the figurative baggage viewers bring to the subject.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
Now on its final chapter, Cartier’s Nature Sauvage high jewelry collection pushed further the figurative fantasies that stage animals in imaginary locales and situations.
—Lily Templeton, WWD, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figurative
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Cite this Entry
“Figurative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figurative. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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