figurative

/ˈfɪɡərətɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɪɡjərətɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfi-g(y)ə-rə-tiv/ (ame, mw)

figurative — adjective

  • figurativepositive
  • more figurativecomparative
  • most figurativesuperlative

1. used about words or phrases that create an image or comparison instead of meanin

1.形容詞C1
釋義

used about words or phrases that create an image or comparison instead of meaning exactly what they say.

例句

Our teacher said "a flood of emails" was figurative, not literal.

be figurative, not literal

The poem's "sleeping giant" is figurative, describing the city at night.

figurative phrase creates an image

同義詞
  • metaphorical

    closer to comparison by image; figurative is broader and includes other non-literal effects

  • symbolic

    usually about something standing for an idea, not simply language used away from its plain meaning

  • non-literal

    plain explanatory term often used in teaching, not as stylistically natural in ordinary prose

反義詞
  • literal

    describes words that keep their direct, ordinary meaning

文法句型

figurative + language / expression / meaning

be figurative rather than literal

用法筆記

Most often used when discussing language, especially metaphors, exaggeration, and other expressions that are not meant to be understood word for word. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about the visible style of art rather than the meaning of language.

常見錯誤

❌The poem says the sea is angry, so the line is literal.
✅The poem says the sea is angry, so the line is figurative.
💡If words give an image or human feeling rather than a factual statement, the meaning is figurative.

2. showing people, animals, or objects in a recognizable form instead of using only

2.形容詞C1
釋義

showing people, animals, or objects in a recognizable form instead of using only abstract shapes or colour.

例句

The gallery showed figurative paintings of workers at the harbor.

collocation: figurative paintings

Although the colors were strange, the sculpture remained clearly figurative.

linking verb + figurative

同義詞
  • representational

    formal art term for showing visible subjects rather than pure abstraction

  • realistic

    narrower; suggests a closer match to real-life appearance than figurative always does

  • lifelike

    stronger; emphasizes a very real-looking effect, not just recognizable forms

反義詞
  • abstract

    moves away from recognizable people or objects toward shapes, colour, or pattern

文法句型

figurative + art / painting / sculpture

remain / become figurative

用法筆記

Common in discussions of painting, drawing, sculpture, and design. Distinguish from sense 1: here figurative describes work that still shows recognizable figures or objects, even if the style is loose or unusual.

常見錯誤

❌The mural is abstract because I can still see people and trees in it.
✅The mural is figurative because I can still see people and trees in it.
💡If the forms are still recognizable, the work is figurative rather than fully abstract.