metaphorical

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˌmɛtəˈfɔrɪkəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Relating to or characterized by metaphor; using a word or phrase to refer to something that it is not, implying a comparison.; Figurative; not to be taken literally.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more metaphorical Superlative: most metaphorical

Collocations

metaphorical languagemetaphorical sensemetaphorical meaningmetaphorical expressionmetaphorical usemetaphorical interpretation

Derivatives

metaphormetaphoricallymetaphoricmetaphoricalnessmetaphorize

Synonyms

figurativesymbolicallegoricalemblematicrepresentativeanalogical

Antonyms

literalactual

Commonly confused

metaphoric
EN: 'Metaphoric' is a valid but less common variant of 'metaphorical'; both mean the same thing, but 'metaphorical' is far more widely used.
figurative
EN: 'Figurative' is a broader term encompassing all non-literal language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole), while 'metaphorical' specifically relates to metaphor.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the '-ical' ending (not '-ic' alone, though 'metaphoric' exists as a rarer variant). Do not drop the 'h' in 'metaphor-': it is 'metaphorical', not 'metaporical'.

💬 Examples

  1. When he said he was 'drowning in work,' it was a metaphorical expression, not a literal one.

  2. The poet's metaphorical language made the landscape come alive with emotion.