figuratively

adverb

fig·​u·​ra·​tive·​ly ˈfi-g(y)ə-rə-tiv-lē 

: in a figurative way: such as

a

: with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal

Speaking of panic, I recently ran into (figuratively, not literally) a friend who was ranting about giant "bees" digging holes in his lawn.

—Ron Kujawski

Poor small-town America. During the last gasps of this fevered election, pollsters, zealous campaign foot soldiers and reporters are kicking down its doors, figuratively speaking …

—Doug Colligan

b

: in a way intended to represent the form or figure of something or someone having objective reality : in a way that is not purely abstract

Franz Kline, who had always painted figuratively, made his breakthrough in 1949 when he looked at one of his sketches in a Bell-Opticon magnifier, and saw the rough, thrusting horizontals and verticals that became the basis of his new abstract style.

—Calvin Tomkins

Examples of figuratively in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kelly Bauch Photography Established in 2006, Merrilee McGehee Design was founded with the pursuit of exploring creative boundaries in our homes, both literally and figuratively. —Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2025

Literally and figuratively, his new car will go a long way. —Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

Despite the unknowns, Villa’s fabric — literally and figuratively — has been woven into Ferro’s history. —Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

If the twist of the first season is just how unreliable one of the protagonists is, the second season does a The Matrix-level reality check that breaks down cast members' façades both literally and figuratively. —EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above