figurative

Everyday

1. Used with a meaning different from the usual, word-for-word one, to make a picture in the mind: «a heart of gold» is figurative. tree →
2. (art) Showing real people or things that you can recognise, not abstract shapes. tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons «figurative language» means similes, metaphors, personification and idioms. It tells the reader not to take the words literally. Phrases: figurative language, figurative meaning, in a figurative sense.

Examples

• «It's raining cats and dogs» is figurative language. tree →
• Poets use figurative language to paint pictures with words. tree →
• «He has a heart of stone» has a figurative meaning: he is unkind. tree →
• The teacher asked us to find three figurative phrases in the poem. tree →
• She paints figurative pictures of people at the beach. tree →
• The figurative meaning of «break the ice» is to start a friendly chat. tree →

Note

Opposite: literal (the plain, word-for-word meaning). Adverb: figuratively. Related noun: figure of speech. A common trap: «I literally died laughing» is really figurative.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: Commentators say that some words about God and the world, like "six dimensions" or "God's hand", are pictures and not to be taken literally. In the primary lessons: In English lessons «figurative language» means similes, metaphors, personification and idioms. It tells the reader not to take the words literally. Phrases: figurative language, figurative meaning, in a figurative sense.

Examples

• 16) Judah Halevi in his book entitled "Kusari," p. 456, illustrates it thus: The Creator is one, and the space has in the figurative expression six dimensions. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Opposite: literal (the plain, word-for-word meaning). Adverb: figuratively. Related noun: figure of speech. A common trap: «I literally died laughing» is really figurative.