This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by
God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the
true glory of a more divine sanctity. --Hooker.
2. Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not
literal; -- applied to words and expressions.
3. Abounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a
highly figurative description.
4. Relating to the representation of form or figure by
drawing, carving, etc. See {Figure}, n., 2.
They belonged to a nation dedicated to the
figurative arts, and they wrote for a public
familiar with painted form. --J. A.
Symonds.
{Figurative} {counterpoint or descant}. See under {Figurate}.
-- {Fig"ur*a*tive*ly}, adv. -- {Fig"ur*a*tive*ness}, n.