Definition for Figurative:

• Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; - applied to words and expressions.

Synonyms for Figurative:

• adj.

  •all (adjective)
  • figurative,
  • nonliteral.
  •allegorical (adjective)
  • parabolic,
  • Typifying,
  • symbolizing.
  •emblematic (adjective)
  • exemplary.
  •euphemistic (adjective)
  • extenuative.
  •florid (adjective)
  • garnished,
  • flamboyant,
  • pretentious,
  • ornamental,
  • ornamented,
  • high-flown,
  • grandiloquent,
  • busy,
  • overblown,
  • sonorous,
  • rhetorical,
  • rich,
  • luscious,
  • embellished,
  • magniloquent,
  • fussy,
  • aureate,
  • decorative.
  •flowery (adjective)
  • overwrought,
  • declamatory,
  • swollen,
  • purple,
  • redundant,
  • verbose,
  • rococo,
  • bombastic,
  • wordy,
  • prolix,
  • windy,
  • diffuse,
  • fancy.
  •graphic (adjective)
  • expressive,
  • forcible,
  • concrete,
  • unequivocal,
  • realistic,
  • lively,
  • compelling,
  • intelligible,
  • perspicuous,
  • detailed,
  • lucid,
  • incisive,
  • precise,
  • picturesque,
  • strong,
  • eloquent,
  • definite,
  • moving,
  • distinct,
  • colorful,
  • striking,
  • vivid,
  • convincing,
  • stirring,
  • telling,
  • comprehensible.
  •illustrative (adjective)
  • expository,
  • clarifying,
  • Explicatory,
  • exemplifying,
  • Illustratory,
  • Illuminative,
  • comparative,
  • delineative,
  • interpretive,
  • corroborative,
  • sample,
  • Specifying,
  • symbolic,
  • revealing,
  • indicative.
  •symbolic (adjective)
  • characteristic,
  • token,
  • suggestive,
  • Indicatory,
  • symptomatic,
  • significant.

• n.

  •
  • artistic,
  • aesthetic,
  • baroque,
  • campy,
  • artsy-craftsy,
  • accessible,
  • avant-garde,
  • abstract,
  • camp.
  •
  • classical,
  • dead.
  •analogical (noun)
  • analogical.
  •extended (noun)
  • extended.
  •figural (noun)
  • figural.
  •figurative (noun)
  • metaphorical,
  • metonymic,
  • poetic,
  • metonymical,
  • synecdochic,
  • synecdochical,
  • representational,
  • tropical.

• Other synonyms:

  •
  • linguistic,
  • idiomatic,
  • umbrella,
  • spoken,
  • synonymous,
  • polysemous,
  • monosyllabic,
  • cognate,
  • tautological,
  • phatic,
  • unmarked,
  • unpronounceable,
  • proverbial,
  • figuratively,
  • sesquipedalian,
  • inflected,
  • agglutinative,
  • disyllabic.
  •
  • creole,
  • nonstandard,
  • pidgin,
  • extinct.
  •
  • literally,
  • technical,
  • native.
  •
  • old.
  •symbolic
  • metaphoricormetaphorical.

Paraphrases for Figurative:

• Independent

  • Adjective
    representative.

• Other Related

  • Adjective
    representational, graphic.

Antonyms for Figurative:

• adj.

  • all
    literal.
  • allegorical
    untypical, not representative.
  • figurative
    real, straightforward.
  • florid
    unornate, plain, undecorated, inelaborate, natural.
  • flowery
    unembellished, unflowery.
  • graphic
    implicit, vague, unclear.
  • illustrative
    atypical, confusing, involved, complicated.
  • Other antonyms:
    denotative, nonrepresentational.

Figurative Sentence Examples:

• Light upon the subject, actual as well as figurative, seemed to be the first essential; his mind composed, Kirkwood set himself in search of it.

• 3. 68 This language was based on a figurative interpretation of the Song.