figurative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Euphemistic speech is the highest form of thinking, human intelligence, an elegant, ‘veiled,’ neutralized, softened figurative expression of reality,” Xilola Inomovna Ismailova, an English teacher at Kokand State University, wrote last year.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

The Dunlap broadside was a broadside in a figurative sense as well as a literal one, blasting its message like cannons fired from the side of a warship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

In the figurative paintings of Veronica Fernandez’s first solo exhibition, “Prey,” the artist’s childhood is recalled through dreamlike and fantastical scenes, with memories filtered through experience and emotion.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

He also paid for windows with geometric designs rather than traditional figurative scenes, in line with Islamic rulings against the drawings of creatures.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Now lined with a row of small shops, the tradition continues, though in a figurative rather than literal sense.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris