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

Back as Elon Musk for Trump’s rambling Rose Garden announcement of reciprocal tariffs kneecapping the global economy, the literally and figuratively glitchy DOGE chief offered an increasingly anti-Tesla America a new electric option. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025

For Drummond, inserting Black voices into spaces—whether literally through design or figuratively through participation in professional contexts—is essential cultural work. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Apr. 2025

The inability to connect—literally and figuratively—led him to walk away from the franchise, passing the mantle to George Clooney. —Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

And while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a pink drink on the white sands of a tropical resort, a new generation of travelers is quickly emerging and pushing the boundaries of the map, both literally and figuratively. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above