metaphorically
adverb
metaphorically is spelled M-E-T-A-P-H-O-R-I-C-A-L-L-Y: 14 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, metaphorically means “In a metaphorical manner; not literally; by means of metaphor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in metaphorically?
| Letters | 14: M-E-T-A-P-H-O-R-I-C-A-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th 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 metaphorically?
Metaphorically appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th 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 metaphorically?
- US
Metaphorically 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-metaphorically.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of metaphorically
- more metaphorically comparative
- most metaphorically superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does metaphorically mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
In a metaphorical manner; not literally; by means of metaphor.
He conveyed his teachings metaphorically.
- 2
Used to draw attention that what follows is a metaphor, not to be taken literally
Metaphorically, he was crushed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Metaphorically in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a metaphoric manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | métaphoriquement |
| German | metaphorisch |
| Portuguese | metaforicamente |
| Spanish | metafóricamente |
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 metaphorically come from?
From metaphorical + -ly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).