figuratively

adverb

fig·​u·​ra·​tive·​ly ˈfi-g(y)ə-rə-tiv-lē 

: in a figurative way: such as

a

: with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal

Speaking of panic, I recently ran into (figuratively, not literally) a friend who was ranting about giant "bees" digging holes in his lawn.

—Ron Kujawski

Poor small-town America. During the last gasps of this fevered election, pollsters, zealous campaign foot soldiers and reporters are kicking down its doors, figuratively speaking …

—Doug Colligan

b

: in a way intended to represent the form or figure of something or someone having objective reality : in a way that is not purely abstract

Franz Kline, who had always painted figuratively, made his breakthrough in 1949 when he looked at one of his sketches in a Bell-Opticon magnifier, and saw the rough, thrusting horizontals and verticals that became the basis of his new abstract style.

—Calvin Tomkins

Examples of figuratively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Almanac was born to break down the silos, both literally and figuratively. —Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

This year started literally and figuratively at the bottom, with starting QB Jaden Rashada transferring to Georgia. —Matthew Self, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024

The two are inextricably tied together — quite literally and figuratively — in the film. —Jenelle Riley, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024

That’s never going to be comfortable, literally and figuratively. —Webb Wright, WIRED, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above