figurative: Meaning and Definition of
fig•ur•a•tive
Pronunciation: (fig'yur-u-tiv), [key]
— adj.
- of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, esp. a metaphor; metaphorical; not literal: a figurative expression.
- metaphorically so called: His remark was a figurative boomerang.
- abounding in or fond of figures of speech: Elizabethan poetry is highly figurative.
- representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.
- representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.