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adjective

figurative

CEFR B2

(used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using figures of speech

In a sentence

Six example sentences with figurative, each labelled with its topic.

  • The poet's mountains are figurative, standing for the obstacles of a long marriage rather than any range she climbed.

    Literature

  • When Plato calls the state a ship, the claim is figurative, and pressing it too far produces nonsense about rudders.

    Philosophy

  • The memo said the team should attack the quarter, a figurative instruction that two new hires took uncomfortably seriously.

    Business

  • Children usually grasp figurative language around age eight, before which a kicked bucket is simply a bucket someone kicked.

    Psychology

  • The judge ruled that the slogan was figurative puffery, since no reasonable buyer expected the drink to give them wings.

    Law

  • The senator's remark about draining the swamp was figurative, but a wetlands group still issued a press release.

    Politics

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Found in these word lists

Found in 7 published word lists

Each source is a published word list that contains figurative. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.

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