as in figurative
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
"a candidate running for office" is just a figural expression
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Recent Examples of figural
However, giving in to January’s grayness — both literal and figural — is not the only option.
—
Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The figural birds are crafted in platinum and 18-karat gold with gemstones — appearing to perch upon the wearer.
—Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
As we are never returned to any figural baseline, our eyes are increasingly ungrounded.
—Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Austria, Germany, and Japan became famous for exporting figural bulbs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for figural
Morayo Ogunbayo, AJC.com, 1 Jan. 2026
The figural birds are crafted in platinum and 18-karat gold with gemstones — appearing to perch upon the wearer.
—Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
As we are never returned to any figural baseline, our eyes are increasingly ungrounded.
—Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
Austria, Germany, and Japan became famous for exporting figural bulbs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for figural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figural
Adjective
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For centuries figurative sculptors have found ways to render their subjects in motion.—
Dawn Chan,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Chicago White Sox gave a metaphorical game ball to a World War II veteran, naming him their hero of the game.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Both Haymes and Potteiger later insisted that their remarks were not sincere expressions of violent intent, but rather metaphorical calls for Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, to find salvation in their brand of Christianity.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Schools now feverishly compete to prepare graduates with simplistic educational remedies driven by competitive branding agendas, providing symbolic curriculum overhauls as recruiting and job-placement signals, regardless of whether such courses share a coherent body of core knowledge.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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This growing reliance on such frameworks underscores the industry’s shift from symbolic commitments toward practical implementation of due diligence and credible sustainability practices.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figural. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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