# figuratively

Pronunciation: US say "FIG-yur-uh-tiv-lee" /ˈfɪɡjɚətɪvli/; UK say "FIG-uh-ruh-tiv-lee" /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪvli/

## Adverb

1. In a figurative way, using a word or image in a sense other than its literal one.
   - Simple: In a way that uses words to paint a picture, not to give their exact meaning.
   - _In the poem, the river is used figuratively to stand for the passing of time._
   - _She meant it figuratively when she said her boss would kill her._
2. Used to signal that the statement that follows is a figure of speech and is not meant literally.
   - Simple: Used to show that the next words are a way of speaking, not meant as real fact.
   - _Figuratively, the company was bleeding money by the end of the quarter._
   - _After the layoffs we were, figuratively speaking, all in the same boat._

## Origin

Formed from figurative + -ly.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/figuratively (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).