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Figurative

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Describing language that is not intended to be taken literally; the use of figures of speech.

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Figurative Language in Poetry — Figurative language is not ornamental extra language: it is one of poetry’s ways of making connections and testing meanings. This guide introduces metaphor, simile, personification, apostrophe and related figures, with practical steps for reading how they develop across a poem.

Detailed Definition
Figurative in poetry refers to language that goes beyond its literal meaning, employing figures of speech such as metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole to create imaginative connections and deepen meaning; figurative language allows poets to express abstract concepts or emotional states more vividly, as when Shakespeare describes “Juliet is the sun,” using metaphor to convey her brilliance and centrality to Romeo’s world in a way literal phrasing could not achieve.
Example
Example in poetry:
Figurative|Metaphorical language departing from literal; "Love is a red rose"; Non-literal comparison or imagery; Symbolic rather than denotative meaning
Additional Notes
Figurative refers to non-literal use of language (metaphor, simile, personification), adding layers of meaning and imagery to poetry.
Also Known As
Metaphorical Non-literal Symbolic expression Imagistic language Allegorical Symbolic
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