C2adverblanguage
US/ˈfɪɡ.jər.ə.tɪv.li/
UK/ˈfɪɡ.ər.ə.tɪv.li/
with a meaning that is not the basic, real one but an imaginative one
In context
When she said she was dying of hunger, she was speaking figuratively.
The village was, figuratively speaking, the heart of the region.
The word 'storm' is often used figuratively to describe a public argument.
Words that go with figuratively
adverb + verb
- figuratively speakingFiguratively speaking, we are all in the same boat.
- literally and figurativelyThe team was, literally and figuratively, on top of the mountain.
- figuratively mean'Break the ice' figuratively means to start a friendly conversation.
verb + adverb
- used figurativelyThe phrase is used figuratively in news headlines.
- speak figurativelyPoets often speak figuratively about love.