Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In a metaphorical manner or sense; by way of metaphor; not literally.
Wiktionary
- adv. manner In a metaphoric manner; not literally; by means of metaphor.
- adv. speech act Used to draw attention that what follows is a metaphor, not to be taken literally
WordNet 3.0
- adv. in a metaphorical manner
Etymologies
- metaphorical + -ly (Wiktionary)
Examples
“On the other hand, to say that a hurricane is a steam motor is not to use the term metaphorically, but literally: one is saying that the hurricane embodies the same engineering diagram as a steam motor: it uses a reservoir of heat and operates via differences of temperature circulated through a Carnot cycle.”
“Perhaps they mean to use the term metaphorically, but in the Nixon White House there was an actual list, compiled by Chuck Colson at the behest of John Dean.”
“The Greeks called the island Ichnussa, or footprint, because of its shape, but Sardinia's central location makes the term metaphorically appropriate as well.”
“His discovery includes an utterance that metaphorically is somewhat connected to a scientific view of the beginnings:”
The Huffington Post: Sena Jeter Naslund: Beginning Again With Adam & Eve
“Much as I am in favor of a politician doing in reality what they usually do metaphorically, is this really news?”
“The people of Ayodhya (metaphorically translates to a place of no war) welcomed the trio by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa), hence the name of the festival, Deepavali, or Diwali.”
The Huffington Post: Anju Bhargava: Out of Many, One: Diwali Illuminates Unity
“a man has used a term metaphorically, or predicated it of itself as though it were something different.”
“Labrousse wasn’t using the expression metaphorically.”
“Thomas Hardy's ashes are also interred at Westminster, save his heart and I don't mean that metaphorically, which is buried in Dorset.”
The Huffington Post: John Lundberg: Ted Hughes Memorialized at Poets' Corner
“There's been a breakthrough, and we do not use that word metaphorically, in the story of 33 Chilean miners who've been trapped underground since August 5th.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘metaphorically’.
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Real words that I love
Words that make me happy in my pants AND have a place in the dictionary.
enervate, efficacious, basilisk, minotaur, elfin, elephantine, schadenfreude, enigma, emasculate, acidic, appalling, ridiculous and 102 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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Tunie: Word Disassociation
(I'm fairly sure that I'm subverting the whole concept of the Tunie by listing this song. Subversion! Yes! HA HA HA HA! Mine is an evil laugh!!!)
Word Disassociation
antidisestablishm..., quickly, ruby, bionic, about, crouch, a cappella, imposter, flames, distraction, murderous, over and 181 more...
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Some new Wordie words this week
Don't tell them they are not real--they might cry.
glover, breakfront, submaximal, criticality, lanoline, mouthy, botheration, metaphorically, metaphase, disavowal, arum, ostentatiously and 162 more...
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The Wørd
Trademark of Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report.
truthiness, bacchanalia, disappointed, love handles, pussy, overrated, perspective, quitter, alito, camilla-mania, cat, shhhh!... and 335 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for metaphorically.
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