Definition · Plain-language
Figurative language
Figurative language uses figures of speech to express ideas beyond their literal meaning, creating vivid, imaginative effects.
The step most authors miss
Doing CRediT right? Don’t stop at the statement.
A CRediT statement credits you inside one paper. The recognition CRediT was built for happens when those roles are tied to you, persistently. Sign in with your ORCID — free — and claim your CRediT contributions on casrai.org, the home of the standard. They become a verified, portable part of your identity, not a line that disappears into one PDF.
Free: claim your contributions, then export a journal-ready CRediT statement, schema.org structured data, JATS XML, CSV or BibTeX — and preview your public profile. A membership publishes that profile publicly and verifies the journals you serve.
Figurative versus literal language
Literal language states facts directly and means precisely what the words say: "the sun set at seven o’clock". Figurative language departs from the literal to create an effect, so the reader must interpret the intended meaning rather than take the words at face value. "The sun sank into the sea like a coin into a pocket" uses comparison to evoke an image, not to report a fact. Figurative language is therefore an umbrella term covering the many figures of speech that achieve meaning through suggestion, comparison, exaggeration or substitution.
The main types of figurative language
Several core devices recur. Metaphor states that one thing is another; simile compares using "like" or "as"; personification gives human qualities to non-human things; hyperbole exaggerates for emphasis; and understatement does the reverse. Symbolism, allusion, idiom, metonymy and synecdoche are also commonly included, along with sound and irony devices in broader lists. Each works differently, but all share the same defining feature: they mean something other than, or beyond, the literal sense of the words, which is what marks language as figurative.
Why figurative language matters
Figurative language makes writing more vivid, expressive and persuasive. By comparing, exaggerating or substituting, it helps readers picture abstract ideas, feel emotion and remember key points. It is central to poetry, where compressed meaning depends on figures of speech, but it also pervades everyday conversation, journalism, advertising and political rhetoric. Because it requires interpretation, figurative language engages readers actively and can carry layers of connotation and tone that literal statement cannot. Used well it illuminates; used carelessly it can confuse, so precision still matters.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: language meaning beyond the literal, using figures of speech
- Opposite: literal language, which means exactly what it says
- Core types: metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole
- Also includes: symbolism, allusion, idiom, metonymy, irony
- Example: "her words cut like a knife"
- Effect: vividness, emotion and persuasion
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: Figurative language and a metaphor are the same thing.
Actually: A metaphor is one type of figurative language. Figurative language is the umbrella term covering many figures of speech — simile, personification, hyperbole, symbolism and more — of which metaphor is just one.
Often heard: Figurative language is only found in poetry.
Actually: Figurative language pervades everyday speech, advertising, journalism and politics, not just poetry. Phrases such as "raining cats and dogs" or "the economy is heating up" are figurative language in ordinary use.
Often heard: Figurative language should always be taken literally.
Actually: By definition, figurative language means something beyond the literal words. Taking "she has a heart of stone" literally misses the point; the reader is meant to interpret the figurative meaning.
Going deeper
