metaphorically

adverb

met·​a·​phor·​i·​cal·​ly ˌme-tə-ˈfȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈfär-

: in a metaphorical or figurative sense rather than a literal sense : by using a metaphor

At the center of every encryption system is a secret number or mathematical operation, metaphorically referred to as a key.

—Peter Wayner

At a typical event, he comes crashing onstage, delivers a macho statement of intent, metaphorically flexes his muscles, then roars away.

—Terry McCarthy

They settled in Somerville, Mass., next door to Cambridge but metaphorically across the tracks.

—Laura Shapiro

Examples of metaphorically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But before Levi’s rocked and rolled, the brand has also spent a lot of time metaphorically out on the range, featuring many cowboys in profile over the decades. —Evan Clark, WWD, 14 Mar. 2025

The all-too-real heartbreak of forgetting is explored metaphorically in this Michel Gondry–directed, Charlie Kaufman–penned movie about an estranged couple who opt to erase one another from their memories (but at what cost?). —Emma Specter, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2025

But don’t mistake these decisions for ambivalence — the group is wary of staying in the same place, metaphorically speaking. —Paula Mejía, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2025

To them, the fate of the ranch and the fate of the world are the same thing, not metaphorically speaking but morally. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for metaphorically

• allegorically
• rhetorically