ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsFfigurative
ISEE/SSATmedium
figurative
Meaning: based on comparison or symbol rather than a literal meaning
figurative in a sentence
How figurative is used in real sentences:
When she said her heart was on fire, she meant it in a figurative sense.
The teacher explained that calling the exam a nightmare was figurative, not a claim about an actual bad dream.
“When a juror calls the case "a maze," the figurative image organizes scattered evidence, even though the file contains no corridors.”
— from the passage Inside the Jury Room
Synonyms for figurative
Other words for figurative — metaphorical, symbolic and allegorical — carry the same meaning.
- metaphorical
- symbolic
- allegorical
Antonyms of figurative
Words that mean the opposite of figurative:
- literal
Where it comes from
From Latin figurativus 'formed, shaped'
Memory hook
FIGURATIVE — think of a figure of speech, a phrase not meant literally.
Practice figurative in the app