figurative

«figurative» in Mova's school dictionary: Used with a meaning different from the usual… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (figurative)

meaning for a pupil

1) Used with a meaning different from the usual, word-for-word one, to make a picture in the mind: «a heart of gold» is figurative. tree →

2) (art) Showing real people or things that you can recognise, not abstract shapes. tree →

sense in the lessons

In English lessons «figurative language» means similes, metaphors, personification and idioms. It tells the reader not to take the words literally. Phrases: figurative language, figurative meaning, in a figurative sense.

examples

• «It's raining cats and dogs» is figurative language. tree →
• Poets use figurative language to paint pictures with words. tree →
• «He has a heart of stone» has a figurative meaning: he is unkind. tree →
• The teacher asked us to find three figurative phrases in the poem. tree →
• She paints figurative pictures of people at the beach. tree →
• The figurative meaning of «break the ice» is to start a friendly chat. tree →

note

Opposite: literal (the plain, word-for-word meaning). Adverb: figuratively. Related noun: figure of speech. A common trap: «I literally died laughing» is really figurative.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «figurative» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.