Using language to represent something else, typically by employing comparisons or symbolic associations to create a more vivid or imaginative effect.
He didn't just say he was sad; his tears were a dark river, a figurative way of showing how deep his hurt ran. That kind of language painted a picture, making you feel the weight of his sorrow much more than plain words ever could.
The baker’s sigh was a heavy blanket, suffocating the small shop. It wasn't a literal blanket, of course, but a figurative one, showing how tired and stressed he felt. He just hoped the customer understood his deep exhaustion through that feeling.
The old mechanic’s hands, usually steady, trembled. He saw his reputation as a cracked circuit board, a tangled mess. His career wasn't just failing; it was a ship sinking, taking his dreams with it. This figurative language captured the ruin he felt inside.
My pet rock, Bartholomew, is a surprisingly good listener. When I tell him my problems, he never interrupts, which is more than I can say for my Aunt Carol. Bartholomew’s stoic silence is a perfect figurative representation of my inner peace, even if he’s just a lump of granite.
My pet rock, Bartholomew, thinks he's a mighty dragon. He puffs out his chest, which is really just dust bunnies, and roars – a tiny, gravelly scrape. It's a wonderful example of figurative language, where Bartholomew, in his stony heart, feels like a fiery beast, even though he's just a rock.
His anger was a storm, a figurative tempest that rattled the windows and made the air crackle. It wasn't just being upset; it was a powerful, overwhelming force that swallowed everything.
His grief was a leaden cloak, a figurative weight crushing his chest. He felt it with every breath, a constant reminder of what was lost, a stark, heavy presence that made the world feel dull and muted.
The old lighthouse keeper watched the storm roll in, his heart a lead weight in his chest. The waves crashing against the rocks were not just water; they were a figurative rage, a violent outburst mirroring his own despair over the lost ship.
My uncle’s snoring, a truly figurative masterpiece, sounded like a herd of walruses tap-dancing on a tin roof. The sheer volume, the rhythmic snorts, it was a symphony of the absurd, a vivid, imaginative display of pure sonic chaos.
My cat, a fluffy sumo wrestler of napping, declared war on a dust bunny this morning. It wasn't a real fight, of course, but a beautifully *figurative* battle. He stalked it, hissed like a tiny dragon, and finally pounced, a furry, airborne missile of pure, dramatic intent.
His words were a storm, not of thunder and rain, but of furious accusations that battered my resolve. It wasn't a literal tempest, but a figurative one, his language painting a picture of destruction, a powerful, imagined assault on my defenses.
The old sailor described the storm not just with wind speed, but as a ravenous beast clawing at the ship. This figurative language, comparing the wind to an animal, painted a terrifying picture of nature's fury far more powerfully than any technical report.
The old sailor's pronouncements, though often confusing, held a deep truth. When he described the storm as a "hungry beast," he wasn't speaking literally. This figurative language, this use of comparison to paint a picture of sheer, overwhelming power, conveyed the raw terror far better than a simple factual account ever could.
My pet hamster, Bartholomew, has an insatiable appetite. When he's stuffing his cheeks with sunflower seeds, it's less like eating and more like a tiny, furry politician hoarding campaign donations. This figurative display of gluttony is truly a marvel to behold, a testament to his boundless ambition for snacks.
The disgruntled badger, a veritable thundercloud of fur and fury, unleashed a stream of *figurative* pronouncements. His grievances, a veritable tapestry of imagined slights, painted his neighbor's petunias as instruments of espionage and their wind chimes as insidious propaganda devices, all to amplify his outrage.
Her heart felt like a leaden weight, a figurative description for the crushing despair that had descended. This figurative use of language wasn't just for show; it captured the profound, internal sensation of her sorrow more acutely than any literal statement.
The old astronomer, eyes tracing constellations, found solace in the celestial ballet. His pronouncements, often steeped in figurative language, painted nebulae as forgotten deities and dying stars as celestial sighs. He didn’t just observe; he felt the universe’s story unfold, a profound, silent narrative etched in starlight.
The lone botanist, amidst the alien flora, felt a profound desolation. He described the star's faint luminescence as a "dying ember," a figurative use of language to convey its waning, life-giving warmth, mirroring his own dwindling hope in this inhospitable expanse.
My cat, Bartholomew, a corpulent tabby with a penchant for existential naps, views his empty food bowl with a truly figurative despair, as if the universe itself has coalesced into a void of culinary abandonment. His mournful yowls are not merely hunger pangs; they're an operatic lament for all that is delectable and presently unobtainable.
The esteemed raconteur, known for his *figurative* way of describing the world, declared the pigeon population to be a plague of feathered overlords, each beak a tiny, insistent chisel chipping away at his tranquil afternoons. His descriptions, replete with abstruse allusions and hyperbole, painted a rather unflattering, albeit hysterically accurate, portrait of the avian menace.
Basic — Common words most learners already know.