nonmetaphorical

adjective

Definition of nonmetaphoricalnext
as in nonfigurative

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonmetaphorical
  1. nonfigurative
  2. literal
Adjective
  • Lee Ungno has great facility with ink, for example, but executing the densely interwoven vines of a wisteria, frequently a symbol of longevity, to resemble a thoroughly nonfigurative Jackson Pollock drip-painting seems dismissive in a perhaps unintentionally jokey way.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Back then, Pop Art—of which Oldenburg’s work was a kind of rough version—was puzzling, if not a bit scandalous to an art world that had, only recently, barely gotten used to the nonfigurative paint pyrotechnics of Abstract Expressionism.
    — Peter Plagens, WSJ, 22 July 2022
Definition of nonfigurative
Adjective
  • Its nostalgic notes include coconut, banana, pool water, and literal swimsuit Lycra.
    — Sara Coughlin, Allure, 9 July 2026
  • Many teams make the mistake of using AI to auto-generate basic, literal captions, which completely fail to convey the emotional nuance, visual data or branding of the creative work.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of literal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

nonmental
nonmetaphorical
nonmetrical
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Cite this Entry

“Nonmetaphorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonmetaphorical. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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