figurative
fig·ur·a·tive/ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/adjective
figurative is spelled F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (fig·ur·a·tive). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, figurative means “Of use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in figurative?
| Letters | 10: F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: fig·ur·a·tive |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is figurative?
Figurative appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce figurative?
- /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/
- /ˈfɪɡ.(j)ər.ə.tɪv/
Figurative has 4 syllables, split fig·ur·a·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-figurative.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of figurative
- more figurative comparative
- most figurative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does figurative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures.
- 2
Metaphorically so called.
- 3
With many figures of speech.
- 4
Emblematic, symbolic; representative, exemplative.
- 5
Representing forms recognisable in life and clearly derived from real object sources, in contrast to abstract art.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate figurative?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of figurative: fig..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Figurative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense metaphorical; not literal:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | figuratif, figuré |
| German | bildlich, figürlich, metaphorisch, symbolisch, übertragen, uneigentlich |
| Portuguese | figurativo, figurado |
| Spanish | figurativo, figurado, traslaticio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does figurative come from?
From Middle French figuratif.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).