figurative

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: fig=ur=a=tive

CIDE DICTIONARY

figurative, a. [L. figurativus: cf. F. figuratif. See Figurative.].

•  Representing by a figure, or by resemblance; typical; representative.  [1913 Webster]

  "This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity."  [1913 Webster]
•  Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; -- applied to words and expressions.  [1913 Webster]
•  Abounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a highly figurative description.  [1913 Webster]
•  Relating to the representation of form or figure by drawing, carving, etc. See Figure, n., 2.  [1913 Webster]

  "They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form."  [1913 Webster]

Figurative counterpoint or Figurative descant. See under Figurate.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

figurative, adj.
1 a metaphorical, not literal. b metaphorically so called.
2 characterized by or addicted to figures of speech.
3 of pictorial or sculptural representation.
4 emblematic, serving as a type.

Derivative

figuratively adv. figurativeness n.

Etymology

ME f. LL figurativus (as FIGURE)

THESAURUS

figurative

adorned, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, allegoric, allegorical, allusive, anagogic, apish, associational, befrilled, cardinal, colored, connotational, connotative, decimal, decorated, definable, delineatory, demonstrative, denominative, denotational, denotative, depictive, designative, diagnostic, differential, digital, echoic, embellished, emblematic, embodying, embroidered, even, evidential, exhibitive, exponential, expressive, extended, extensional, fancy, festooned, figural, figurate, figured, finite, florid, flowery, fractional, full of meaning, full of point, full of substance, graphic, identifying, ideographic, idiosyncratic, illustrational, illustrative, imaginary, imitative, impair, implicative, impossible, incarnating, indicating, indicative, indicatory, individual, infinite, integral, intelligible, intensional, interpretable, irrational, limning, logarithmic, logometric, lush, luxuriant, mannered, meaning, meaningful, meaty, metaphorical, mimetic, mimish, naming, negative, numeral, numerary, numerative, numeric, odd, onomatopoeic, ordinal, ornamented, ornate, overcharged, overloaded, pair, pathognomonic, peculiar, personifying, pictographic, pictorial, pithy, pointed, portraying, positive, possible, pregnant, prime, purple, radical, rational, readable, real, reciprocal, referential, representational, representative, representing, semantic, semiotic, sententious, signalizing, significant, significative, signifying, simulative, submultiple, substantial, suggestive, surd, symbolic, symbolistic, symbolizing, symbological, symptomatic, symptomatologic, transcendental, transferred, trolatitious, tropological, typical, typifying, vivid

ROGET THESAURUS

figurative

Ornament

N ornament, floridness c, adj, turgidity, turgescence, altiloquence, declamation, teratology, well-rounded periods, elegance, orotundity, inversion, antithesis, alliteration, paronomasia, figurativeness, flourish, flowers of speech, flowers of rhetoric, frills of style, euphuism, euphemism, big-sounding words, high-sounding words, macrology, sesquipedalia verba, Alexandrine, inflation, pretension, rant, bombast, fustian, prose run mad, fine writing, sesquipedality, Minerva press, phrasemonger, euphuist, euphemist, ornament, beautified, ornate, florid, rich, flowery, euphuistic, euphemistic, sonorous, high-sounding, big-sounding, inflated, swelling, tumid, turgid, turgescent, pedantic, pompous, stilted, orotund, high flown, high flowing, sententious, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, grandiloquent, magniloquent, altiloquent, sesquipedal, sesquipedalian, Johnsonian, mouthy, bombastic, fustian, frothy, flashy, flaming, antithetical, alliterative, figurative, artificial, ore rutundo, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental art, ornature, ornateness, adornment, decoration, embellishment, architecture, jewelry, garnish, polish, varnish, French polish, veneer, japanning, lacquer, gilding, plating, ormolu, enamel, cloisonn_e, cosmetics (in general), makeup, eye shadow, rouge, face powder, lipstick, blush, pattern, diaper, powdering, paneling, graining, pargeting, detail, repousse (convexity), texture, richness, tracery, molding, fillet, listel, strapwork, coquillage, flourish, fleur-de-lis, arabesque, fret, anthemion, egg and tongue, egg and dart, astragal, zigzag, acanthus, cartouche, pilaster, bead, beading, champleve ware, cloisonne ware, frost work, Moresque, Morisco, tooling, embroidery, brocade, brocatelle, galloon, lace, fringe, trapping, border, edging, trimming, hanging, tapestry, arras, millinery, ermine, drap d'or, wreath, festoon, garland, chaplet, flower, nosegay, bouquet, posy, daisies pied and violets blue, tassel knot, shoulder knot, apaulette, epaulet, aigulet, frog, star, rosette, bow, feather, plume, pompom, panache, aigrette, finery, frippery, gewgaw, gimcrack, tinsel, spangle, clinquant, pinchbeck, paste, excess of ornament, gaud, pride, illustration, illumination, vignette, fleuron, head piece, tail piece, cul-de-lampe, flowers of rhetoric, work of art, ornamented, beautified, ornate, rich, gilt, begilt, tesselated, festooned, champleve, cloisonne, topiary, smart, gay, trickly, flowery, glittering, new gilt, new spangled, fine as a Mayday queen, fine as a fivepence, fine as a carrot fresh scraped, pranked out, bedight, well-groomed, in full dress, dressed to kill, dressed to the nines, dressed to advantage, in Sunday best, en grand tenue, en grande toilette, in best bib and tucker, endimanche, showy, flashy, gaudy, garish, gairish, gorgeous, ornamental, decorative, becoming.

Metaphor

N metaphor, figure of speech, facon de parler, way of speaking, colloquialism, phrase, figure, trope, metaphor, enallage, catachresis, metonymy, synecdoche, autonomasia, irony, figurativeness, image, imagery, metalepsis, type, anagoge, simile, personification, prosopopoeia, allegory, apologue, parable, fable, allusion, adumbration, application, exaggeration, hyperbole, association, association of ideas (analogy), metaphorical, figurative, catachrestical, typical, tralatitious, parabolic, allegorical, allusive, anagogical, ironical, colloquial, tropical, so to speak, so to say, so to express oneself, as it were, mutato nomine de te fabula narratur.

Representation

N representation, representment, imitation, illustration, delineation, depictment, imagery, portraiture, iconography, design, designing, art, fine arts, painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, cinematography, radiography, autoradiography, fluorography, sciagraphy, personation, personification, impersonation, drama, picture, photo, photograph, daguerreotype, snapshot, X-ray photo, movie film, movie, tracing, scan, TV image, video image, image file, graphics, computer graphics, televideo, closed-circuit TV, copy, drawing, sketch, drought, draft, plot, chart, figure, scheme, image, likeness, icon, portrait, striking likeness, speaking likeness, very image, effigy, facsimile, figure, figure head, puppet, doll, figurine, aglet, manikin, lay- figure, model, mammet, marionette, fantoccini, waxwork, bust, statue, statuette, ideograph, hieroglyphic, anaglyph, kanji, diagram, monogram, map, plan, chart, ground plan, projection, elevation (plan), ichnography, cartography, atlas, outline, scheme, view, radiograph, scotograph, sciagraph, spectrogram, heliogram, represent, representing, representative, illustrative, represented, imitative, figurative, iconic, like, graphic, cinquecento quattrocento, trecento.