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
Ron KujawskiPoor 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
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
Calvin TomkinsExamples of figuratively in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His hope was that Mendoza would help the Raiders do the same, figuratively, for their opponents.
—Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Part of that is because, with social media, there’s still a level of filter, figuratively and literally.
—Glamour, 18 May 2026
But that small starting population went wild, both literally and figuratively.
—ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
The huge leap for Bell — figuratively and literally — came this season.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for figuratively
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Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Part of that is because, with social media, there’s still a level of filter, figuratively and literally.
—Glamour, 18 May 2026
But that small starting population went wild, both literally and figuratively.
—ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
The huge leap for Bell — figuratively and literally — came this season.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for figuratively
Cite this Entry
“Figuratively.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figuratively. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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