figuratively

Definition

In a way that uses figures of speech; not literal or exact, but representing something through analogy, metaphor, or symbolic meaning. Often used to clarify that a statement should be understood as imaginative rather than factual.

Example Usage

When I said I was dying of hunger, I meant it figuratively, not that I was actually perishing.

Origin

From Latin 'figura' (figure, form), meaning to express by means of a figure or image.

Fun Fact

Figuratively is the direct opposite of literally, yet 'literally' is now often used to mean something like 'figuratively,' creating constant linguistic tension.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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