figuratively
adverb
figuratively is spelled F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, figuratively means “In a figurative manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in figuratively?
| Letters | 12: F-I-G-U-R-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is figuratively?
Figuratively appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th 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 figuratively?
Figuratively has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of figuratively
- more figuratively comparative
- most figuratively superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does figuratively mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a figurative manner.
- 2
Used to indicate that what follows is to be taken as a figure of speech, not literally.
Figuratively, the cat was out of the bag.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Figuratively in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a figurative manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | figurément |
| German | bildlich, figürlich |
| Portuguese | figurativamente |
| Spanish | figuradamente, en sentido figurado, figurativamente |
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 figuratively come from?
From figurative + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).