metaphorically

metaphorically adverb: in a metaphorical manner; not literally; by means of metaphor.

Adverb

metaphorically (comparative more metaphorically, superlative most metaphorically)

In a metaphorical manner; not literally; by means of metaphor.
- He conveyed his teachings metaphorically.
- […] as, for example, in the present case of throwing herself, metaphorically speaking, at Mr Casaubon's feet, and kissing his unfashionable shoe-ties as if he were a Protestant Pope.1872, George Eliot, Middlemarch, I.5
Synonyms:

nonliterally
Used to draw attention that what follows is a metaphor, not to be taken literally
- Metaphorically, he was crushed.

A genetic defect might metaphorically be referred to as a "Mark of Cain"
The basket is, metaphorically, easier to handle than the cat inside the basket.
When we stand on each other's shoulders, literally and metaphorically, we can reach the real high-quality guanciale, literally and metaphorically.

comparative	more metaphorically
superlative	most metaphorically

From metaphorical + -ly.

What does metaphorically mean?: Metaphorically means in a metaphorical manner; not literally; by means of metaphor.
What is metaphorically in Arabic?: Metaphorically in Arabic is مَجَازِيًّا (majāziyyan). See Metaphorically meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is metaphorically?: Metaphorically is an adverb.

Adapted from Wiktionary: metaphorically (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-metaphorically.wav.

Cite this entry: “metaphorically.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/metaphorically. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.