good figurative language for essays

• Figurative Language

Figurative Language Definition

What is figurative language? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Figurative language is language that contains or uses figures of speech . When people use the term "figurative language," however, they often do so in a slightly narrower way. In this narrower definition, figurative language refers to language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. This view of figurative language focuses on the use of figures of speech that play with the meaning of words, such as metaphor , simile , personification , and hyperbole .

Some additional key details about figurative language:

• Figurative language is common in all sorts of writing, as well as in spoken language.
• Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative speech is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine.
• It's a common misconception that imagery, or vivid descriptive language, is a kind of figurative language. In fact, writers can use figurative language as one tool to help create imagery, but imagery does not have to use figurative language.

Figurative Language Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce figurative language: fig -yer-uh-tiv lang -gwij

Figures of Speech and Figurative Language

To fully understand figurative language, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of figures of speech. More specifically, it's helpful to understand the two main types of figures of speech: tropes and schemes .

• Tropes are figures of speech that play with and shift the expected and literal meaning of words.
• Schemes are figures of speech that involve a change from the typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or arrangement of words.

Put even more simply: tropes play with the meaning of words, while schemes play with the structure of words, phrases, and sentences.

The Different Things People Mean When They Say Figurative Language

When people say figurative language, they don't always mean the precise same thing. Here are the three different ways people usually talk about figurative language:

• Dictionary definition of figurative language: According to the dictionary, figurative language is simply any language that contains or uses figures of speech. This definition would mean that figurative language includes the use of both tropes and schemes.
• Much more common real world use of figurative language: However, when people (including teachers) refer to figurative language, they usually mean language that plays with the literal meaning of words. This definition sees figurative language as language that primarily involves the use of tropes.
• Another common real world use of figurative language: Some people define figurative language as including figures of speech that play with meaning as well as a few other common schemes that affect the rhythm and sound of text, such as alliteration and assonance .

What does all that boil down to for you? If you hear someone talking about figurative language, you can usually safely assume they are referring to language that uses figures of speech to play with the meaning of words and, perhaps, with the way that language sounds or feels.

Common Types of Figurative Language

There are many, many types of figures of speech that can be involved in figurative language. Some of the most common are:

• Metaphor : A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For example, the phrase "her lips are a blooming rose" obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that makes a comparison between the red beauty and promise of a blooming rose with that of the lips of the woman being described.
• Simile : A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is like another thing. An example of a simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
• Oxymoron : An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet , "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels.
• Personification : In personification, non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent to their plans." Describing the rain as "indifferent" is an example of personification, because rain can't be "indifferent," nor can it feel any other human emotion.
• Idiom : An idiom is a phrase that, through general usage within a particular group or society, has gained a meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. The phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" is known to most Americans to mean that it's raining hard, but an English-speaking foreigner in the United States might find the phrase totally confusing.
• Onomatopoeia : Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or describe. The “boom” of a firework exploding, the “tick tock” of a clock, and the “ding dong” of a doorbell are all examples of onomatopoeia.
• Synecdoche : In synecdoche, a part of something is used to refer to its whole . For example, "The captain commands one hundred sails" is a synecdoche that uses "sails" to refer to ships—ships being the thing of which a sail is a part.
• Metonymy : Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in "Wall Street prefers lower taxes," the New York City street that was the original home of the New York Stock Exchange stands in for (or is a "metonym" for) the entire American financial industry.
• Alliteration : In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “ b ” sound in: “ B ob b rought the b ox of b ricks to the b asement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around them.
• Assonance : The repetition of vowel sounds repeat in nearby words, such as the " ee " sound: "the squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one another.

Figurative Language vs. Imagery

Many people (and websites) argue that imagery is a type of figurative language. That is actually incorrect. Imagery refers to a writers use of vivid and descriptive language to appeal to the reader's senses and more deeply evoke places, things, emotions, and more. The following sentence uses imagery to give the reader a sense of how what is being described looks, feels, smells, and sounds:

The night was dark and humid, the scent of rotting vegetation hung in the air, and only the sound of mosquitoes broke the quiet of the swamp.

This sentence uses no figurative language. Every word means exactly what it says, and the sentence is still an example of the use of imagery. That said, imagery can use figurative language, often to powerful effect:

The night was dark and humid, heavy with a scent of rotting vegetation like a great-aunt's heavy and inescapable perfume, and only the whining buzz of mosquitoes broke the silence of the swamp.

In this sentence, the description has been made more powerful through the use of a simile ("like a great-aunt's..."), onomatopoeia ("whining buzz," which not only describes but actually sounds like the noise made by mosquitoes), and even a bit of alliteration in the " s ilence of the s wamp."

To sum up: imagery is not a form of figurative language. But a writer can enhance his or her effort to write imagery through the use of figurative language.

Figurative Language Examples

Figurative language is more interesting, lively, beautiful, and memorable than language that's purely literal. Figurative language is found in all sorts of writing, from poetry to prose to speeches to song lyrics, and is also a common part of spoken speech. The examples below show a variety of different types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each type at their own specific LitChart entries.

Figurative Language Example: Metaphor

Metaphor in shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo uses the following metaphor in Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet , after sneaking into Juliet's garden and catching a glimpse of her on her balcony:

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun not only to describe how radiantly beautiful she is, but also to convey the full extent of her power over him. He's so taken with Juliet that her appearances and disappearances affect him like those of the sun. His life "revolves" around Juliet like the earth orbits the sun.

Figurative Language Example: Simile

In this example of a simile from Slaughterhouse-Five , Billy Pilgrim emerges from an underground slaughterhouse where he has been held prisoner by the Germans during the deadly World War II firebombing of Dresden:

It wasn't safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. When the Americans and their guards did come out, the sky was black with smoke. The sun was an angry little pinhead. Dresden was like the moon now , nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead.

Vonnegut uses simile to compare the bombed city of Dresden to the moon in order to capture the totality of the devastation—the city is so lifeless that it is like the barren moon.

Figurative Language Example: Oxymoron

These lines from Chapter 7 of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls describe an encounter between Robert Jordan, a young American soldier fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and his lover María.

She held herself tight to him and her lips looked for his and then found them and were against them and he felt her, fresh, new and smooth and young and lovely with the warm, scalding coolness and unbelievable to be there in the robe that was as familiar as his clothes, or his shoes, or his duty and then she said, frightenedly, “And now let us do quickly what it is we do so that the other is all gone.”

The couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. The contradiction contained within the oxymoron "scalding coolness" emphasizes the couple's conflicting emotions and impossible situation.

Figurative Language Example: Hyperbole

Elizabeth Bennet, the most free-spirited character in Pride and Prejudice , refuses Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal with a string of hyperbole :

From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.

Elizabeth's closing statement, that Darcy is the "last man in the world" whom she would ever marry, is an obvious hyperbole. It's hard to believe that Elizabeth would rather marry, say, an axe murderer or a diseased pirate than Mr. Darcy. Even beyond the obvious exaggeration, Austen's use of hyperbole in this exchange hints at the fact that Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy are more complicated than she admits, even to herself. Austen drops various hints throughout the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth feels something beyond mere dislike for Darcy. Taken together with these hints, Elizabeth's hyperbolic statements seem designed to convince not only Darcy, but also herself, that their relationship has no future.

Figurative Language Example: Personification

In Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne describes a wild rose bush that grows in front of Salem's gloomy wooden jail:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

In the context of the novel's setting in 17th century Boston, this rose bush, which grows wild in front of an establishment dedicated to enforcing harsh puritan values, symbolizes those elements of human nature that cannot be repressed, no matter how strict a community's moral code may be: desire, fertility, and a love of beauty. By personifying the rosebush as "offering" its blossoms to reflect Nature's pity (Nature is also personified here as having a "heart"), Hawthorne turns the passive coincidence of the rosebush's location into an image of human nature actively resisting its constraints.

Figurative Language Example: Idiom

Figurative language example: onomatopoeia.

In Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tempest , Caliban uses onomatopoeia to convey the noises of the island.

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices...

The use of onomatopoeia makes the audience feel the sounds on the island, rather than just have to take Caliban's word about there being noises.

Figurative Language Example: Synecdoche

In Act 4, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Macbeth , an angry Macbeth kicks out a servant by saying:

Take thy face hence.

Here, "thy face" stands in for "you." Macbeth is simply telling the servant to leave, but his use of synecdoche makes the tone of his command more harsh and insulting because he uses synecdoche to treat the servant not as a person but as an object, a body part.

Figurative Language Example: Metonymy

In his song "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G. raps:

Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Here he's using "limelight" as a metonymy for fame (a "limelight" was a kind of spotlight used in old theaters, and so it came to be associated with the fame of being in the spotlight). Biggie's use of metonymy here also sets him up for a sweet rhyme.

Figurative Language Example: Alliteration

In his song "Rap God," Eminem shows his incredible lyrical dexterity by loading up the alliteration :

S o I wanna make sure, s omewhere in this chicken s cratch I S cribble and doodle enough rhymes T o maybe t ry t o help get s ome people through t ough t imes But I gotta k eep a few punchlines Just in c ase, ‘ c ause even you un s igned Rappers are hungry l ooking at me l ike it's l unchtime…

Why Do Writers Use Figurative Language?

The term figurative language refers to a whole host of different figures of speech, so it's difficult to provide a single definitive answer to why writers use figurative language. That said, writers use figurative language for a wide variety of reasons:

• Interest and beauty: Figurative language allows writes to express descriptions, ideas, and more in ways that are unique and beautiful.
• Complexity and power: Because figurative language can create meanings that go beyond the literal, it can capture complex ideas, feelings, descriptions, or truths that cause readers to see things in a new way, or more closely mirror the complex reality of the world.
• Visceral affect: Because figurative language can both impact the rhythm and sound of language, and also connect the abstract (say, love) with the concrete (say, a rose), it can help language make an almost physical impact on a reader.
• Humor: By allowing a writer to layer additional meanings over literal meanings, or even to imply intended meanings that are the opposite of the literal meaning, figurative language gives writers all sorts of options for creating humor in their writing.
• Realism: People speak and even think in terms of the sorts of comparisons that underlie so much figurative language. Rather than being flowery, figurative language allows writers to describe things in ways that match how people really think about them, and to create characters who themselves feel real.

In general, figurative language often makes writing feel at once more accessible and powerful, more colorful, surprising, and deep.

Other Helpful Figurative Language Resources

• The dictionary definition of figurative : Touches on figurative language, as well as some other meanings of the word.
• Figurative and Frost : Examples of figurative language in the context of the poetry of Robert Frost.
• Figurative YouTube : A video identifying various forms of figurative language from movies and television shows.
• Wikipedia on literal and figurative language : A bit technical, but with a good list of examples.

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• Writing Tips

Figurative Language – Definition and Examples

3-minute read

• 13th April 2023

In this article, you’ll learn about figurative language: what it is, how to use it, and lots of examples to inspire your everyday speech and descriptive writing .

What is Figurative Language?

Figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation. It is often used to create imagery, evoke emotion, or emphasize a point in a way that literal language cannot. Think of it as painting a picture with words in the minds of your audience – for example, “She was as light as a feather while dancing.”

5 Types of Figurative Language

Below, we’ll look at five types of figurative language – metaphor, idiom, simile, hyperbole, and personification – that you can use in an essay, poem , speech, or conversation.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things by stating that one thing is another, without using “like” or “as.” Metaphors are used to create imagery, evoke emotions, and help readers or listeners to understand an idea or concept in a new and interesting way.

Here are some examples of metaphors:

An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. Idioms are often used in informal or conversational language to add color or humor.

Here are some examples of idioms:

If you want to include idioms in your everyday speech or writing, make sure you fully understand the figurative meaning before using them. If used incorrectly, they can cause confusion for your audience.

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things using “like” or “as.” They are a great writing technique to create vivid imagery and a memorable comparison.

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Here are some examples of similes:

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves exaggeration for emphasis or effect. It is mostly used to emphasize a point in a funny or memorable way. Hyperbole is great to use in everyday language or writing, but it’s important to use it in moderation – otherwise, it can come across as insincere or unbelievable.

Here are some examples of hyperbole:

Personification

Personification is a figure of speech in which an inanimate object or animal is given human-like qualities or characteristics. This technique is mostly used in poetry or descriptive writing to create vivid imagery.

Here are some examples of personification:

Figurative language is a great addition to your everyday speech and is frequently used in literature and poetry. It can add depth and richness to language, making it more interesting and expressive. However, it can also be confusing if the reader or listener does not understand the intended meaning of the figurative language. Therefore, it is important to have a basic understanding of figurative language in order to fully appreciate and understand written and spoken communication.

Interested in learning more about how use descriptive language and vivid imagery? Check out our Writing Tips blog to learn more.

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Figurative Language

Figurative language definition.

Figurative language uses figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, and impactful.

Figures of speech such as metaphors , similes, and allusions go beyond the literal meanings of the words to give readers new insights. On the other hand, alliterations, imageries, or onomatopoeias are figurative devices that appeal to the senses of the readers.

Figurative language can appear in multiple forms with the use of different literary and rhetorical devices . According to Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia, the definition of figurative language has five different forms:

• Understatement or Emphasis
• Relationship or Resemblance
• Figures of Sound
• Verbal Games

Types of Figurative Language

The term figurative language covers a wide range of literary devices and techniques, a few of which include:

Personification

• Onomatopoeia

Alliteration

• Understatement

Short Examples of Figurative Language

• His friend is as black as coal.
• He has learned gymnastics, and is as agile as a monkey.
• When attacked in his home, he will fight like a caged tiger.
• Can you dance like a monkey?
• Even when he was told everything, he was acting like a donkey.
• My Friend is a Shakespeare when in English class.
• He was a roaring lion in anger, though now he is silent.
• They seem like jackals when running in fear.
• Kisses are roses in the spring .
• This world is a sea of anonymous faces.
• The house stood half-demolished and abandoned.
• He left with his haunted and spell-bound face.
• He did not like the odorless and colorless shape of water.
• His friend was looking at spooky glissando twangs.
• Zigzag fissures in the land made him look for snakes .
• The light on the site did not let him see the sight.
• He heard the sound of the fire, like wire striking the air.
• This artificial stream is going to flow to the downtown of the town.
• Please set the kite right.
• Might of the fright seems greater than the actual fear.
• He lets the pink ball fall with a tall man.
• They have not learned how to catch the cat.
• Get a seat with a treat in our local hall.
• Calling the cow an ox is like putting the cart before the horse.
• He saw the pink kite floating past the tall trees .
• He is dying with his untrustworthy belief.
• Sharply blunt razor cannot do anything to you.
• Kindly cruel treatment made him flabbergasted.
• Please, watch with closed eyes and you will see the heaven.
• Creatively dull person cannot do anything in his life.
• The Pentagon is located in Washington in the United States.
• The Hollywood is a home of English movies.
• 10 Downing Street is located in London .
• Buckingham Palace is world’s oldest symbol of democracy.
• The White House.
• He does not know how to behave with the special people.
• He is looking at his own grey hair and his agility.
• They saw a fleet of fifty.
• At this time, he owns nine head of cattle.
• The new generation is addicted to the use of plastic money.

Examples of Figurative Language from Literature

Example #1: the base stealer (by robert francis).

Poised between going on and back, pulled Both ways taut like a tight-rope walker, Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball, Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on! … Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird, He’s only flirting, crowd him, crowd him,

The similes and word choice of this poem makes it a masterpiece. The poet use similes between the lines to depict his scattered thoughts before taking action, and makes comparison as, “ like a tight-rope ,” “ like a dropped ball ,” and “ hovers like an ecstatic bird .”

Example #2: I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings (By Maya Angelou)

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage His wings are clipped and his feet are tied The caged bird sings with a fearful trill … And his tune is heard on the distant hill for The caged bird sings of freedom.

The entire poem is rich with metaphor as a bird in a cage represents a group of people who are oppressed and cannot get freedom. The cage represents physical barriers, fear, addiction, or society; while the song of the bird represents true self yearning for something greater in life.

Example #3: She Sweeps with Many-Colored Brooms (By Emily Dickinson)

She sweeps with many-colored Brooms And leaves the Shreds behind Oh Housewife in the Evening West Come back, and dust the Pond!

Dickinson uses personification of a housewife to describe the sunset in the very first line of this poem. She is using a sweeping housewife who does her daily work, likewise the rays of the setting sun sweep away beneath the horizon.

Example #4: The Raven (By Edgar Allen Poe)

O nce upon a midnight dreary w hile I pondered w eak and w eary ; r are and r adiant maiden; And the s ilken s ad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain … D eep into that d arkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, D oubting, d reaming d reams no mortal ever d ared to d ream before.

Poe uses alliteration by repeating the /w/ sound to emphasize the weariness of the narrator , and then /r/ and /s/ sounds in the second and third lines respectively. In the last two lines, the /d/ sound highlights the narrator’s hopelessness.

Example #5: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (By Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks Had I from old and young ! Instead of the cross , the Albatross About my neck was hung.

In these lines, the albatross symbolizes a big mistake, or a burden of sin, just like the cross on which Christ was crucified. Therefore, all people on the ship agreed to slay that bird.

Example #6: The Bluest Eyes (By Toni Morrison)

Personification, consonance, and simile.

She ran down the street, the green knee socks making her legs look like wild dandelion of stems that had somehow lost their heads. The weight of her remark stunned us.

This excerpt uses different devices that make language figurative. There is a good use of simile , “legs look like wild dandelion;” and personification, “lost their heads;” and use of consonance in “stunned us,” where the /s/ is a consonant sound.

Example #7: The Week of Diana (By Maya Angelou)

Metaphor, consonance, personification.

“The dark lantern of world sadness has cast its shadow upon the land. We stumble into our misery on leaden feet.”

in just these two lines, Maya Angelou has used a metaphor of the dark lantern, consonance of the /s/ sounds, and personification of misery.

Example #8: The Negro Speaks of River (By Langston Hughes)

Consonance, simile.

“I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”

This prince of the Harlem Renaissance has beautifully used a different type of consonance with the /l/ sound and a simile of “my soul.”

Example #9: Musée des Beaux Arts (By W. H. Auden)

Personification, consonance.

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy W. H. Auden life and the torturer’s horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

W. H. Auden has used a personification of the “dreadful martyrdom,” and consonances of “some untidy spot,” with the /s/ sound, and “dogs go on with their doggy life,” with the /d/ and /g/ sounds.

Function of Figurative Language

The primary function of figurative language is to force readers to imagine what a writer wants to express. Figurative language is not meant to convey literal meanings, and often it compares one concept with another in order to make the first concept easier to understand. However, it links the two ideas or concepts with the goal of influencing the audience to understand the link, even if it does not exist.

Poets and prose writers use this technique to bring out emotions and help their readers form images in their minds. Thus, figurative language is a useful way of conveying an idea that readers cannot understand otherwise, due to its complex and abstract nature. In addition, it helps in analyzing a literary text.

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• Sensory Language

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How To Use Figurative Language To Enhance Your Writing

• What Is Figurative Language?
• Figurative Language Vs. Literary Devices
• Using Figurative Language
• Take The Quiz

In writing, we use a lot of different figures of speech. In your own writing, you have likely used a simile in a sentence such as It was as hot as the sun. Or perhaps you like creating clever puns such as She brought the planks of wood to the board meeting. Both of these popular types of wordplay are examples of figurative language . Not only is figurative language fun, but it can also really spice up your writing if used effectively. 

In this article, we will:

• explain what figurative language is
• give examples of different types of figurative language
• offer tips for using figurative language creatively

You probably use figurative language already, but learning a bit more about it will ensure that your metaphors, similes, puns, idioms, and hyperbole shine like diamonds . Without any further ado, let’s cut to the chase and learn all we can about figurative language.   

What is figurative language ?

Figurative language is language that uses creative wordplay, expressions, and figures of speech to mean something beyond the literal definition of words. 

Figurative language can be described as the opposite of literal language. When we use words literally, their meaning is usually the same as the meaning that appears in the dictionary. For example, the sentence I went to the grocery store literally means that you traveled to a place that sells food. 

When we use words figuratively, on the other hand, they mean something beyond the definitions of the words themselves. Often, we use figurative language to inspire colorful mental images or make our writing and speech more exciting. 

Let’s look at the sentence It was raining cats and dogs . If we read this sentence literally, it says that cats and dogs fell from the sky. If we recognize it as figurative language, we know that the sentence is actually saying that it was raining a lot. As you can see, figurative language requires us to go beyond the literal meanings of words to understand the intent behind them. 

Examples of figurative language

Figurative language includes many different figures of speech and types of wordplay. The following list gives some popular examples of figurative language but is not exhaustive.

A simile is “a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared.” Typically, similes make comparisons using the word like or as .

Example: She ran as fast as lightning. 

2. metaphor

A metaphor is another form of comparison in which something is said to figuratively be something else.

Example: I am a sloth in the morning until I drink my coffee. 

Learning the difference between a metaphor and a simile can be a walk in the park and as easy as pie!

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its elements.

Example: You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

4. hyperbole

A hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration.

Example: The dish exploded into a million pieces.

Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

Example: I failed my exams and lost my wallet, so it has been a fantastic day so far. 

6. onomatopoeia

An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it refers to.

Example: The cymbals crashed, and the drums boomed.

A person is making a pun when they humorously use words with multiple meanings or words with similar sounds to create wordplay.

Example: The article on fishing lures made by secret societies looked interesting, but it turned out to be clique bait.

When they’re not formal and serious, words are perfect for playful linguistic shenanigans, antics, and amusement!

8. personification

Personification is the act of giving human elements to non-human things.

Example: The leaves danced gracefully in the wind.  

9. metonymy

Metonymy is when the name of something is replaced with something related to it.

Example: He loved music from the cradle (birth) to the grave (death).

10. synecdoche

Synecdoche is when a part of something is used to refer to a whole.

Example: She saw a lot of familiar faces at the party.

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Figurative language vs. literary devices

A literary device is an element, like a metaphor, that draws us into a story . Some consider literary devices to be the building blocks of literature. When used correctly and effectively, literary devices give writers a way to infuse their work with detail and hint at larger themes, ideas, and meaning.

Some forms of figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, are considered to be types of literary devices. However, common literary devices may make use of figurative language, literal language, or both to accomplish whatever goal an author has in mind. 

Elevate your writing by getting to know some of the most common types of literary devices.

For example, foreshadowing is a commonly used literary device. When establishing foreshadowing , an author may use actual events to hint at something that will happen later in a story. For example, a heroine may repeatedly see a black cat wandering around before she discovers that the evil sorcerer disguises himself as a black cat.  

Alternatively, a literary device such as symbolism may use figurative language to express meaning to a reader. For example, a group of knights in a story may wear clothing with lions on them, and the author may refer to them as lions in the narrative. In this case, the author is using symbolism; the knights are not literal lions. The author compares them to lions using figurative language in order to emphasize their courage, pride, and ferociousness. 

Often, figurative language and literary devices are used together by writers in order to draw readers in with clever and imaginative use of words, themes, and plots. 

How to use figurative language

Using figurative language in your writing is a great way to catch a reader’s attention and make your text more creative and exciting. However, there are some important tips to keep in mind when using figurative language. 

Arguably the most important part of figurative language is ensuring that your reader understands what you are saying. If you use an expression your reader doesn’t know or make a comparison that your reader doesn’t understand, you have unnecessarily made your writing worse. As a writer, you must always keep your audience in mind. So if you’re unsure who your audience is, it is best to stick to common expressions and make your wordplay easy to understand. 

For example:

❌ Confusing: The pickpocket was a hyena among oryx; it was like shooting fish in a bucket. 

✅ Better: The pickpocket was a wolf among sheep; it was like taking candy from a baby. 

The second example shows how to use figurative language effectively. It relies on common, well-known animals in a simple metaphor and also uses a common expression. Even if a reader hasn’t heard the expression like taking candy from a baby , it is pretty clear from the context that it is referring to easily committing a crime. 

Another thing to keep in mind before using figurative language is the type of writing you are doing. Specifically, are you engaging in formal writing or informal writing? Figurative language is more likely to be used in informal writing. While formal writing does usually allow for figurative language, it is often a lot more difficult to use figurative writing effectively in formal writing. 

In formal writing, lighthearted figurative language such as puns, hyperbole, and whimsical similes will often come across as distracting, unprofessional, and inappropriate. In formal settings, it is best to stick to serious uses of figurative language that don’t detract from the tone or professionalism of the writing. 

❌ Informal language: The senator had to get out while the getting was good because he knew his argument wasn’t going to cut the mustard. 

✅ More formal: The senator had to cut his losses because he knew his argument didn’t hold water. 

Think you’re one smart cookie? Take the quiz!

If you’re confident you’ve got a good grasp on figurative language, try blowing us out of the water, knocking our socks off, and showing us you’re quick as a whip by acing our figurative language quiz .

Give your writing even more of a leg up by learning some rhetorical devices.

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Figurative Language: Why and How You Should Use It

Zara Altair

Color Your Writing with Figurative Language

22 examples of figurative language, use figurative language wisely by avoiding clichés, figurative language is the spice of writing.

Figurative language means using literary devices, techniques, and figures of speech to heighten sensory response and add meaning, clarity, or impact to your writing.

Figures of speech color your prose, giving a sense of immediacy to readers. They evoke a strong emotional reaction.

Just like a figure in a drawing, figurative language creates an image in your reader’s mind. Figurative language calls on the reader’s senses through sounds, scents, tastes, images, and touch to make an idea accessible.

You probably use figurative language in your everyday speech without thinking twice about it. Here are some examples:

It’s a million degrees outside today.

Alice is busy as a bee .

His smile was a mile wide .

The chair groaned with his weight.

I can help you with your HTML—it’s a piece of cake .

It’s not really a million degrees outside. Alice isn’t a bee. Configuring code is not cake. But that’s how figurative language works. The images (figures) create an immediate impression.

Figurative language has been around as long as people have been telling stories. Over time, writers have come up with many ways to use figurative language. The world is your oyster (see what I did there?) when it comes to choosing figurative ways to express yourself.

When you want your writing to connect with readers and give them an emotional punch, figurative language can create an immediate response. Perk up your writing using figurative elements.

Here’s an introduction to 22 different ways of how to use figurative language.

A simile compares two things that are unlike each other by using “as” or “like” to establish equivalency. You are saying that the two things are similar.

The imagery is what connects the comparison to the thing you describe. The two things are not related in the world, but the image in the simile describes the state of the item.

Simile examples:

She was like a fish out of water at the prom.

He slept like a dog .

Her eyes sparkled like diamonds .

Figuratively, the man is like a sleeping dog, or the eyes are like diamonds. The figurative language connects the two.

2. Metaphor

A metaphor takes figurative language a step further. There is no comparison; the item described is the image of the metaphor even though it is not literally the object. The figure represents the thing described.

Metaphor examples from everyday speech:

The valley is covered in a blanket of snow.

She has a heart of stone .

He’s the black sheep of the family.

Use metaphors in both prose and poetry to create an emotional connection with your reader.

3. Metonymy

Metonymy means “change of name.” As a literary device, one word is used to replace another closely associated word. Use metonymy to avoid repeating the same word. The representative word allows you to vary expressions or to use a word to express a concept.

Examples of metonymy:

Hollywood : the film industry

Press : journalism and news organizations

Academics : school, college, university, studies

Management : administration, leadership

Metonymy helps keep your writing concise.

4. Synecdoche

A synecdoche uses a part of something to represent the whole. Just like metonymy, it keeps you from overusing a particular word. You’ll expand your reader’s understanding of your topic.

Examples of synecdoche:

Green thumb : a talent for raising plants

Stars and stripes : the American flag

Suit : signifying someone who is in business

5. Personification

Personification attributes human qualities to inanimate objects or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. The best way to understand is to look at some examples.

Examples of personification:

Jim heard the last piece of pie calling his name .

The door protested on its rusty hinges.

The headlights winked as the truck drove through the forest.

Personification makes inanimate objects relatable. It is used in advertising to make a product more approachable. Think of Goldfish crackers: the snack that smiles back .

6. Onomatopoeia

With onomatopoeia, the word itself sounds like the sound you’re describing. Just like a visual figure of speech, the sound of the word makes a vivid connection with the reader.

Examples of onomatopoeia:

The steak sizzled on the fire.

The avalanche boomed across the valley.

The bee and the doorbell buzzed at the same time.

Onomatopoeia is fun figurative language, giving your reader a sensory sizzle and making the scene come alive.

7. Oxymoron

You’ve heard it said that opposites attract. Oxymoron is figurative language that connects two opposite feelings. The words are self-contradicting but build sensory response in your reader by enhancing the concept.

Examples of oxymoron :

Managing the conference was controlled chaos .

One job qualification for our team is serious fun .

After the party, Kendra found the kitchen in a fine mess .

If you want your oxymoron to hit home, choose your own original opposites. Here’s one from Andy Warhol: "I am a deeply superficial person."

8. Hyperbole

Hyperbolic figurative language goes over the top as an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis, humor, or effect. People use hyperbole often in casual speech.

Examples of hyperbole:

If I hear that one more time, I’m going to die .

After that hike, I am so hungry I could eat a horse .

9. Allusion

An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or literary/poetic work that the writer assumes the reader knows. Poet T. S. Elliot and novelist James Joyce both wrote using allusions.

Examples of allusion:

Aila’s Achilles’ heel is her squeaky voice when presenting.

Following up with the conference attendees was a Herculean effort .

The cottage by the creek was a perfect Eden .

Be careful using allusions. Match them to your audience. Just because you know something doesn’t mean it is general knowledge, or even knowledge specific to your audience.

An idiom is an expression using two or more words to refer to something, but the words mean something other than the literal meaning of the words used in the idiom.

Idiomatic phrases can be national or regional. Sometimes even groups or families create their own internal idiomatic expressions.

Example of idiom:

Kirk: “If we play our cards right , we may be able to find out when those whales are being released.” Spock: “How will playing cards help?”

(Dialogue between characters Captain James T. Kirk and Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , 1986)

They are not playing cards. Spock, who takes everything literally, doesn’t understand the idiomatic expression.

Be careful when using idioms—they often don’t translate well to non-native speakers (like Spock).

ProWritingAid’s Clichés Report highlights idioms in your writing so you can make sure you’re saying what you really mean.

Some similes and metaphors have become so commonplace that they are now cliché. Use the Clichés Report to find and replace stale words and phrases with fresher ideas.

Ready to freshen up your writing?

11. Imagery

Imagery creates pictures (images) with words. But the imagery is not limited to the visual. Imagery can refer to all five senses and internal emotions.

Examples of touch, taste, and smell imagery:

The rabbit’s fur felt like velvet .

Her lips tasted as sweet as sugar .

The kids rushed inside because the house smelled like chocolate .

Imagery elicits an immediate sensory response in your reader by providing familiar references to help them connect to what you’re saying. Varying the senses you appeal to in your writing makes for a more engaging reader experience.

Use ProWritingAid’s Sensory Report to highlight all of the sensory words in your writing. It will also tell you how many of each type of word you have used so you can make sure you’ve got a good balance.

12. Symbolism

A symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else to evoke additional emotional meaning. A symbol can be a word, object, action, character, or concept. Literary novels often use symbolism to express a theme, like a river representing life.

Examples of symbolism:

Green traffic light: symbolizes “go”

Dollar sign: symbolizes money, wealth, earnings

Shopping cart icon: symbolizes online purchase

You can use anything to symbolize a concept in writing. Just make sure the symbol is one your audience understands.

13. Consonance

Consonance uses consonants in quick repetition. They can appear anywhere in the word—beginning, middle, or end. Consonance not only brings attention to the phrase but makes it easy to remember.

Examples of consonance:

Fuddy duddy

Jay-Z uses consonance in “Brooklyn’s Finest,” combining the similar sounds of S and Z.

Peep the style and the way the cops sweat us The number one question is, can the Feds get us?

Consonance intensifies the language, building an emotional connection with the reader.

14. Alliteration

Alliteration is the use of consonant sounds at the beginning of words close together in a sentence to evoke sensory feelings related to the sound. For example, P and hard C represent excitement, while S represents softness. It isn’t based on the letter but on the sound of the consonant.

Examples of alliteration:

Tonka Trucks

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…

As a subset of consonance, use alliteration to call attention to an important point and/or make your point memorable.

15. Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words close to each other. Unlike alliteration, where the word starts with a consonant at the beginning, the vowel sound can be inside the word.

Examples of assonance:

Stranger danger

Cock of the walk

Eyes on the prize

Once again, it’s the sound that’s important—not the letter used. And assonance works in the same way as alliteration to make your statement memorable or call attention to it.

Irony is a contradictory statement that expresses a reality different from what appears as truth. It points at a different perspective. In literature, it can be an unforeseen event that changes a character’s expectation or some unanticipated behavior different from what was expected.

Verbal irony is an unanticipated response; situational irony is an unexpected outcome.

Irony examples:

Telling a silent group, “don’t everyone speak at once.” (Verbal irony.)

Marriage counsellor divorcing her third husband. (Situational irony.)

Burglarized police station. (Situational irony.)

Irony also works as a plot device.

Hansel and Gretel (oral tradition): the witch burns in her own oven

Oedipus Rex, Sophocles: Oedipus searches for the murderer, who is himself

17. Sarcasm

Sarcasm is an ironic statement intended to mock. You say something different from what you literally mean. Sarcasm can portray the speaker’s true feelings even though it is veiled in humor. In order for sarcasm to work in writing, you must make sure the context is clear, otherwise the reader will misunderstand.

Examples of sarcasm:

I’d agree with you, but then I’d be wrong.

Ask me if I care.

Aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.

18. Litotes

Litotes is a literary device that states an affirmative without using an affirmative word, usually with negative terms. Often used as understatement or negation to express a contrary meaning.

Examples of litotes:

You’re not wrong.

His decision was not the worst.

Your effort has not gone unnoticed.

A pun is a literary device that plays on the sound of words. The words have identical sounds but the meaning is different. Puns are generally intended to be humorous.

Examples of common puns:

The librarian is a bookkeeper.

I need to spend more thyme in the garden.

“The road to success is always under construction.” (Lily Tomlin)

20. Anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of a word at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences. It is figurative language that's especially effective in speeches. It functions to emphasize words and ideas. Use it to evoke emotion, highlight an idea, and create urgency.

Examples of anaphora:

“ Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)

“There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done / Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung / Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game” ( All You Need is Love , Paul McCartney and John Lennon)

You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.

21. Tautology

In figurative language, tautology is the use of two words or phrases that say the same thing. Used well, it emphasizes a point.

But, be careful because tautology can also feel wordy. For example, ProWritingAid will signal tautologies as unnecessary words to keep your writing succinct.

Examples of tautology:

The morning sunrise is beautiful.

“With malice toward none , with charity for all , with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right.” (Abraham Lincoln)

She was a dark-haired brunette .

22. Understatement

Understatement intentionally makes a statement less important than it seems or is. It functions as the opposite of hyperbole.

Examples of understatement:

“I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” ( Catcher in the Rye , J. D. Salinger)

It’s not too bad. (When your borrowed jacket is returned with an indelible stain.)

It’s O.K. I guess. (Describing an incredible result.)

Figurative language colors your writing to call attention to a passage. Images, word use, sounds, and wordplay are all ways to spice up your writing whether it’s an article, speech, fiction, or poetry.

Here you have 22 examples as ideas to use when your writing is feeling flat. Match the figurative language to the mood, tone, audience, and intended outcome. You’ll transform the seemingly ordinary into significant writing.

Take your writing to the next level:

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Zara Altair writes traditional mysteries set in ancient Italy under Ostrogoths rule in The Argolicus Mysteries. She teaches mystery screenwriters and novelists at Write A Killer Mystery. She creates semantic web content for a select clientele.

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figurative language

What is figurative language definition, usage, and literary examples, figurative language definition.

Figurative language  (fih-gyur-EH-tiv LANE-gwidge) refers to words, phrases, and sentences that go beyond their literal meaning to add layers of interpretation to the audience’s understanding. Instead of relying solely on the dictionary definition of words, figurative language adds nuance,  context ,  imagery , association, and other heightened effects to written or spoken phrasing.

The word  figurative  first appeared in English in the late 14th century and derived from the Old French  figuratif , which means “metaphorical.” The Old French originates in the Latin  figurare , which means “to form, shape.” These elements of  metaphor  and forming or shaping still resonate in the term  figurative language  as it is used today. The connection of  figurative  with speech and language also appeared in English in the late 14th century and indicated “allegorical, metaphoric, involving figures of speech,” which is still how the term is used.

Figurative Language and Figures of Speech

Figurative language can broadly be defined as language that employs  figures of speech . Figures of speech are rhetorical devices that either play with the arrangement of words or with the meaning of words. All figures of speech fall into one of two categories: schemes and tropes.

Schemes play with the mechanics of language and often involve shifts in the arrangement, order, or patterns of words and phrases. This can be achieved through repetition of letters, words, or phrases; the equal balancing of phrases or sentences through identical grammatical structures; shifting the expected order of words or phrases; and/or omitting expected words or punctuation. Some commonly employed schemes are  alliteration , assonance, chiasmus, consonance, and parallelism.

Tropes create meaning beyond words’ literal definitions. They deviate from expected meanings to add greater complexity using association, comparison, and word play. Some common tropes include  hyperbole ,  metaphor , metonymy, personification,  simile , and synecdoche.

Types of Figurative Language

There are many ways to produce figurative language. Some of the most common, many of which also qualify as figures of speech, include:

• Alliteration

This is the repetition of the same sound in a short sequence of words, which creates musical effects in writing. Examples of alliteration occur in brand names, such as Kit Kat, Rolls Royce, Best Buy, and American Apparel, and children’s tongue twisters, such as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

This occurs when a text references an external text, person, place, or event. Describing a curmudgeonly old skinflint as a “Scrooge” alludes to Charles Dickens’s novella  A Christmas Carol .  Similarly, the 1960s pop song “White Rabbit” alludes to Lewis Carroll’s  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland .

This type of phrasing involves intentionally extravagant exaggeration to heighten the emotional effect of what is being said. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” is an example of hyperbole, as the speaker is conveying they are incredibly hungry, though they could not literally consume an entire horse. Likewise, saying “I’m dying of exhaustion” is generally a hyperbolic statement, as people rarely pass away from fatigue.

This figure of speech is an explicit comparison between two different things, used for poetic or dramatic effect. Perhaps the most famous metaphor in English literature comes from  William Shakespeare ’s  As You Like It , when the character Jacques compares life to a theater performance:

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts

Metaphors are frequently encountered in literature, particularly in  poetry , but they are also utilized in everyday speech. Saying “She’s my rock” to describe a romantic partner or calling someone’s room is “a pig sty” are both prevalent examples.

This occurs when the name of something is replaced with a strongly associated thing. For example, when people say “The White House stayed silent on this matter as events unfolded,” they are referring to the people who work in the White House (such as the president); they don’t mean the building itself. This is an example of metonymy. The phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword” includes two examples of metonymy: “pen” refers to the power of written words or diplomacy, and “sword” refers to the use of military force.

• Onomatopoeia

Using words that evoke the sound of the thing they signify is onomatopoeia. For example, the “tick tock” of a clock is an example of onomatopoeia, as is the “splash” of a frog jumping into a pond of water, the “ding dong” of someone ringing a doorbell, or the “boom” made by fireworks, thunder, and bombs.

This device pairs contradictory words or ideas to express a new or more complex meaning. They are frequently seen in casual speech and commercial advertisements. For example, the descriptive phrase “fresh frozen” is oxymoronic. These are often seen in literature. In Shakespeare’s  Romeo and Juliet , Juliet tells Romeo that parting from him is “such sweet sorrow.” This oxymoron describes the bittersweet joy of saying goodbye to someone you love.

Parallelism

Conceptually similar to alliteration, parallelism involves the repetition of sentence structure for balance and emphasis. Although this often involves repeating the exact same words, to count as parallelism, only the repetition of grammatically similar elements is necessary.

A list with the grammatical structure of “First buy X, then buy Y, then purchase Z” would be an example of parallelism, as would the phrase “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Parallelism is frequently encountered in speeches and was an intrinsic part of Hebrew and Middle Eastern poetry, as well as the Old and New Testaments of the  Bible .

Personification

Giving a quality of greater animation to an inanimate or less animate object or element is personification. People often assume this is limited to something being described as if it is a person, but often, personification simply involves describing something in a way that ascribes greater liveliness to it.

In John Donne’s poem “ Holy Sonnet X ,” he personifies the concept of death: “Death, be not proud.” By ascribing the attribute of pride to death, even though it is something only people can feel, Donne utilizes personification. In the poem “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ,” when T.S. Eliot writes “The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, / The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,” this is also personification. Describing the fog as if it is a cat gives it greater qualities of animation than fog actually possesses, though the animation is not specific to human attributes.

A pun relies on multiple meanings of a word or homophonic or homographic elements. It can be verbal, as in “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” It can also be visual, such as an image depicting a fork lying on a highway—a clear reference to the phrase “a fork in the road.

Related to metaphors, similes are explicit comparisons between disparate things. These comparisons are constructed using the words  like  or  as .

Many similes are familiar phrases: “as cold as ice,” “run like the wind,” “eats like a bird,” “as slow as molasses,” and “as tough as nails.” The famous catchphrase from the movie  Forrest Gump , “Life is like a box of chocolates,” is also a simile.

Similar to metonymy, synecdoche occurs when a thing is referred to by the name of one of its parts. For example, calling an old man “gray beard” is an example of synecdoche since an old man’s gray beard is a part of the man. Referring to businesspeople as “suits” is another example, as suits are part of the person in the sense that business professionals wear suits.

Frequently, synecdoche and metonymy are confused. The best way to remember the difference is that synecdoche swaps in a part to refer to the whole, while metonymy uses a related term that is not an actual part of the thing being referred to.

Figurative Language and Imagery

People often use the term  imagery  interchangeably with  figurative language , but these concepts are not the same.

Imagery is a literary device that allows the author to create pictures in readers’ minds so they can better imagine the situation, characters, emotions, and  settings  of the  narrative . Imagery can be created using literal or figurative language.

If an author is creating literal imagery, also called descriptive imagery, they describe things exactly as they are. Writers tend to use adjectives to create literal/descriptive imagery. For example, they might describe a maple tree in autumn by saying, “The tall maple tree was covered in bright red leaves.” Here, the image is created through adjectives that accurately describe the tree without embellishment.

The same tree could be described using figurative language: “The maple tree soared tall as a skyscraper and was covered with leaves as bright red as lipstick kisses.” This second image uses similes to create an image that conveys the same idea as the literal example, but it does so in a way that is more poetic.

Literal/descriptive imagery and figurative imagery are both important tools for writers to make their work feels vivid. Figurative imagery is used in poetry more than in other literary forms, as it is particularly open to figurative language’s symbolic and associative meanings. However, both types of imagery are used in all forms of literature.

Linguistic Semantics and Figurative Language

Linguistic semantics are the study of interpretation of signifiers (signs, words, symbols, phrases) and what they really mean, particularly as used by specific communities, circumstances, and contexts. Figurative language relies on associations, comparisons, and other schemes and tropes to create additional levels of meaning for words beyond the literal.

Linguists originally believed in the standard pragmatic model of comprehension, which suggested that, when exposed to figurative language, people would first attempt to comprehend it as literal and then shift to a figurative interpretation to understand the meaning. Since the 1980s, however, research has shown that figurative language is comprehended at the same speed as literal meaning.

Figurative Language in Pop Culture

Figurative language is an intrinsic part of pop culture. Song lyrics regularly utilize tropes and schemes like metaphor, similes, and alliteration. For example:

• In Frank Ocean’s song “Thinking Bout You,” he sings, “A tornado flew around my room before you came,” which is a  metaphor  for how wild, scary, and confusing his life was before he met this person.
• In Jay Z’s “Big Pimpin’,” he raps, “I’ll be forever mackin’ / heart cold as assassins.” In this  couplet , he uses a  simile  to assert that he will never fall in love because he is as unemotional as a hired killer.
• In the classic 1980s song “Careless Whisper,” George Michael sings “Guilty feet have got no rhythm.” This is an example of personification because feet cannot feel emotions like guilt. It is also a synecdoche because a part—the feet—stands in for the whole—the song’s narrator. This helps convey that the narrator is the one who feels guilty.

Examples of Figurative Language in Literature

1. Emily Dickinson, “ Because I could not stop for Death ”

In the first  stanza  of her  poem , Dickinson writes:

Because I could not stop for Death—

He kindly stopped for me—

The Carriage held but just Ourselves—

And Immortality.

Throughout the poem, Dickinson personifies death as a person who picks her up in his carriage to go for a scenic drive.

2. F. Scott Fitzgerald,   The Great Gatsby

In the final  sentence  of his classic novel, Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick, describes humanity:

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Nick is using a metaphor. He compares people, particularly Jay Gatsby, to boats that want to move forward (into a new future) but are pushed back (into the past) by powerful forces beyond their control.

3. Dante Alighieri,   Inferno

In the first Canto, Dante meets a stranger at the foot of a mountain. After the stranger discloses that he was a poet who sang about the son of Anchises who left Troy when it burned, Dante asks:

Now, art thou that Virgilius…

Thou art my master, and my author thou,

Thou art alone the one from whom I took

The beautiful style that has done honor to me

The astute reader recognizes that Dante has made the Latin poet Virgil (author of the  Aeneid ) a main character in his poem, which is an  allusion .

4. Charles Dickens,   A Tale of Two Cities

Dickens begins his classic novel with a litany:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of

wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it

was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the

season of Darkness…

The recurrent use of the grammatical structure of “it was the….” is an example of parallelism. This repetition gives Dickens’ opening paragraph balance and emphasis, thus drawing the reader in.

5. Toni Morrison,  Jazz

The first line of Morrison’s novel contains  onomatopoeia :

Sth, I know that woman.

The first word is the onomatopoeic sound of a woman sucking her teeth in disdain as she begins to share information about a character she finds unsavory.

Further Resources on Figurative Language

The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Department of Linguistics published an interesting study about “ meaning ” in figurative language.

This video provides examples of figurative language used in various  movies .

The Writing Cooperative published some  tips  on how to use figurative language to describe setting.

Related Terms

• Figure of Speech

Mastering Figurative Language: A Guide to Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies

Words by maribel leddy.

Writing is like cooking a meal; you need a balance of raw ingredients and spices to make it delicious. The proper cooking temperature and time is the editing process. Julienning the vegetables is the crafting of sentences. The recipe is your outline. It all comes together to create a perfect medley of taste in your mouth. 

I’m getting away from myself here with this analogy . The point is that you can use figurative language , words or phrases that have meaning while not being literally true, to elevate your writing. Figurative language includes idioms, hyperbole, and personification as well as figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, and analogies. These three terms all equate two unrelated things for emphasis, but they differ slightly in execution and effect. They also all help with showing, not telling , a topic we covered previously. 

In this blog, we’ll cover what metaphors, similes, and analogies are, how and why to use them, and examples of when they work—and when they don’t. Learning how to employ figurative language is one of the most fruitful and important ways you can begin to master writing, so use this blog as a helpful starting point!

When to Use Figurative Language 

Figurative language helps make stories more interesting. While literal language has its place, such as in legal documents, professional communication, and academic papers, figurative language is essential to creative writing. It also helps bring clarity to complex or abstract ideas by comparing them to simpler or more relatable things. 

Figurative language, and the figures of speech mentioned above, are especially good for writing descriptions. When describing a person, place, or thing, you can give readers a good idea of what it looks, feels, smells, and is like in general by comparing it to something else. 

For example, in Frank Herbert’s iconic space opera Dune , he describes an Arrakeen cavern for the first time: “…silent people all around him moving in the dim light of glow-globes. It was solemn there and like a cathedral as he listened to a faint sound—the drip-drip-drip of water.” This moment takes place on the fifth page of the book and readers have no idea what an Arrakeen cavern is. By comparing it to something familiar but not out of place in the world Herbert has created, readers are able to instantly envision what it might look and feel like, giving them something solid to cling to as they begin to walk further into this world. 

Understanding Metaphors

A metaphor is when the storyteller makes an exact comparison between two unrelated things. For example: “Her hands are magic.” Unlike similes, which we cover in the next section, metaphors do not call to attention the comparison they make. Thus, when used in a story, metaphors often blend in with the rest of the description and the reader may not even realize that the author has made this comparison. 

Metaphors have two parts: 

• A tenor , which is the object or concept being described. 
• A vehicle, which is what the object or concept is compared to. 

In our earlier example, the hands are the tenor and the magic is the vehicle.

Ex: Her hands are magic. 

Metaphors help readers better understand unfamiliar concepts or objects and paint familiar things in a new light. How easily readers can decipher a metaphor depends on the strength of the comparison. A strong metaphor will be surprising but accessible; it says something new without confusing the reader. A weak metaphor is usually a cliché like, “He bit the bullet,” or, “Life is a journey.” You want to avoid clichés as much as possible in your writing as they feel derivative, unimaginative, and unoriginal. 

Types of Metaphors

There are six kinds of metaphors that can be used throughout writing. Here’s a breakdown of each one: 

• Conventional Metaphor 

This kind of metaphor goes unnoticed in everyday speech because the concept of it is so common and accepted in our collective consciousness. This does not necessarily mean that it is a cliché, although it can be one. 

An example of a conventional metaphor would be saying something like, “ I’m a night owl but she’s an early bird.” Most English-speaking Americans will instantly recognize this as meaning that the speaker of the sentence tends to stay up late whereas the “she” they refer to rises early. On the other hand, someone unfamiliar with English or this phrase may wonder why you’re comparing people to birds.

• Creative Metaphor 

Instantly recognizable as unique and original, creative metaphors are meant to be provocative and striking. Poetry very often makes use of creative metaphor. 

In this excerpt from his poem “Dreams,” Langston Hughes compares life to a “barren field frozen with snow.” From this, the reader can infer Hughes’s meaning that when someone no longer has dreams, their life becomes desolate and cold like a barren field. In this way, creative metaphors should always seek to shed light on complex ideas.

• Implied Metaphor 

Implied metaphors make a comparison without explicitly naming the vehicle part of the metaphor. For example, “ She’s got her claws in him,” is a phrase understood to express that someone (in this case, “she”) has a strong emotional or manipulative hold over another person (in this case, “him”). But the comparison of “she” to an animal with claws is implied rather than stated directly, since most people understand this without clarification. If we were to add a vehicle, the metaphor may read more like: “ She’s an animal with her claws in him.” 

• Extended Metaphor 

An extended metaphor, or conceit , is a comparison that is repeated several times throughout a work, usually in new ways. It can extend several lines or sentences or, in the case of many songs and pieces of literature, throughout the entire work. Extended metaphors can also be allegories , wherein the story uses symbols and figurative language to convey a hidden meaning that is typically moral or political. 

“Hope Is the Thing With Feathers” by Emily Dickenson provides us with an extended metaphor:

Here we see how Dickenson compares hope to a bird, personifying it and extending the metaphor throughout the poem not only by referencing hope directly but also through words like “perches” and “little bird.” 

Other examples of extended metaphors appear throughout all kinds of storytelling, but here are a few that stand out: 

• Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech compares the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the status of African Americans since then to cashing a bad check. 
• Animal Farm by George Orwall is an allegory that uses farm animals revolting against the humans who run the farm to provide a lesson on authoritarianism, oppression, and tyranny. 
• In Grief Is the Bird by Samantha Jean Coxall, we have a metaphor right from the start: Grief is the bird. The story takes this metaphor to heart and reflects on how a child feels after their father has passed. Read it here .
• “She’ll forgive the grudges she’s borne like Sisyphean boulders,” is a line from the flash fiction piece The Forgiveness Machine by Joy Baglio. This piece uses a machine that can grant forgiveness as a vehicle to study the emotional turmoil of life. 
• Catachresis

Also known as a mixed metaphor , catachresis blends two well-known metaphors or aphorisms in a way that doesn’t make sense. The effect can be to show that a character is confused, frazzled, or perhaps not very bright. 

An example of this would be: 

• “People in glass houses should not wear their hearts on their sleeves.” 

Let’s break down why this is a mixed metaphor and doesn’t make sense. The real sayings are: 

• “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
• “Wear your heart on your sleeve.” 

The first means that people with faults should not criticize others for having the same faults. The second means to make your feelings known rather than hiding them. Thus, the inferred meaning of the original mixed metaphor is that people with faults should not hide their feelings. The comparison doesn’t work because the two known phrases lose all meaning—or at least come together in a very confused one. 

Mixed metaphors can sometimes appear accidentally in writing, so make sure that when you’re making comparisons, unless done purposefully for characterization, the metaphor’s meaning is clear.

• Abstract Metaphor 

Finally, we have abstract metaphors, wherein the tenor and vehicle cannot be separated cleanly because the concept being expressed is too large or complex to distill into two distinctly related parts. A popular example of this would be equating light to knowledge or truth, such as when something “brings light to a situation.” By saying that, there is an accepted understanding that light is synonymous with knowledge or truth which, unless learned, is not explicitly obvious. However, the concept of light equalling knowledge or truth is imbued into our general consciousness and so a metaphor implying this can be understood without further clarification.

Exploring Similes

A simile uses “like” or “as” to show that what would be considered the tenor and vehicle in a metaphor are similar but not exactly the same. An example would be: 

• Simile: She’s like a magician. 
• Metaphor: She is a magician.

In this example, a simile would likely be the better option as it’s possible for someone to be a magician without it being a metaphor. In the simile version, it’s obvious that the speaker is not saying that person is actually a magician, but is doing something that makes her like one. 

When To Use Simile vs. Metaphor

Similes compare two similar things using “like” or “as,” whereas metaphors make the assertion that two different things are one and the same, as opposed to being like it. Therefore, metaphors are more direct. When you want a description to feel stronger or more forceful, use a metaphor. Metaphors don’t leave wiggle room. Something is something else even though it’s not. Similes, on the other hand, make it much more obvious that there is a comparison taking place. When you want someone to compare two things but not equate them, use a simile. 

Other Examples of Similes 

Similes appear in many places, and they can also be clichés. When writing similes, lean into creativity and specificity. 

• Cliché: Her tears fell like rain. 
• Original: A single tear skittered down her cheek like a droplet of rain on a car window. 
• Cliché: They were as different as night and day. 
• Original: They were as different as whiskey and wine; both alcoholic, but one went down easier.

Practice some on your own! Look up some cliché similes and metaphors and try your hand at coming up with more creative versions. In your own writing, remember that any metaphors or similes you use should also make sense in the context of the story. For example, if your story takes place in a bakery, using figures of speech related to baking, sweets, or cooking might make a lot of sense thematically.

Unraveling Analogies

An analogy extends a comparison by adding context, often by using a third element that two things share. For example: 

• Metaphor: Her hands are magic. 
• Analogy: She’s as crafty as a magician, always pulling solutions out of thin air. 

To construct an analogy, think about what makes two things similar and ask yourself why you’re comparing them to begin with. If you can’t come up with anything, it might not be a sound analogy and you should think of something else. Let’s examine a few examples of analogies from literature to better understand how to construct them: 

• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: In this analogy, Juliet compares Romeo to a rose by acknowledging that his name—and thus the feud between their families—really means nothing because he would be just as sweet, and she would like him just as much, were he called any other name. Romeo is the tenor, the rose is the vehicle, and the comparison between the two is the sweetness. 
• “Migration Season” by Kelli Russell Agodon : In this poem, Agodon compares the families of patients to “snow geese in a flooded field.” She extends the metaphor made in the first three lines of the poem throughout it, providing the reader with an understanding of what it feels like to live that experience.  Read it here!
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius : This series of personal musings from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius has a lot of wisdom to share—which is one reason why we included it in our Literary Tarot deck ! But the line below in particular provides us with an analogy that compares time to a river. Is it perhaps where we get the idea of a “time stream” from? 
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare : In Act V of this iconic tragedy, Macbeth recognizes and mourns the death of his wife, comparing life to a “walking shadow,” implying the meaning that it has no real purpose. Not only is the speech a perfect example of an analogy, but it also goes HARD. 
• “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost : This poem is both an extended metaphor and an analogy, using spring’s ending to reflect on how fleeting life is. It’s also famously used in S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders , which has a storyline that seeks to exemplify the poem and its meaning. 

4 Tips for the Effective Usage of Figurative Language

• Balance figurative language with literal descriptions. While using figurative language will imbue your narrative with beauty and depth, too much of it may result in confusion and clunkiness. The various metaphors, analogies, and similes will run into each other and confuse one another. Make sure every figure of speech is grounded in something literal that the reader can actually envision. 
• Bite the bullet. 
• Turn a blind eye. 
• Give the cold shoulder. 
• Comparing tears and rain. 
• Comparing life to a journey. 
• Laughter is the best medicine. 

There are many more, but in general, if you feel you’ve heard it many times before, avoid it. 

• Experiment with figurative language to enhance your writing. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. (A cliché). Let me try that again: Don’t be afraid to melt a box of crayons together and write with a whole new color. Better? This is harder than it looks… 
• That’s why the most important step is to: Practice, practice, practice . Like with the other techniques we’ve covered in our Facts of Fiction series , the only way to get better at using figurative language is to practice doing it. 

Exercise: Practical Application of Figurative Language

Now that you know what metaphors, similes, and analogies are, let’s put them to use! Write a passage describing an activity you know well and do often. For example, maybe you’re a runner. What does it feel like to run? Describe the activity from start to finish, purposefully using as many metaphors, similes, and analogies as you can. While the final piece may feel overwrought with figurative language, it’s a good way to get the creative juices flowing and see what original comparisons you can come up with.

Cast the Spell of Figurative Language

Sprinkle your writing with a little magic with figurative language. When used correctly, figures of speech and other forms of figurative language add depth to descriptions, help readers better visualize scenes, evoke emotions, add symbolism and layers, and make a story feel more memorable and impactful. 

Keep tackling these monthly exercises with us as we continue our journey of becoming better writers! Follow @frictionseries on Instagram to be the first to know when we release new installations in this series. Plus, discover incredible stories in the Unseen issue of F(r)iction — available for purchase now !

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Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, figurative language.

Figurative language refers to the use of words in nonliteral ways . For instance, writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . . use f igurative language to help people imagine something new. Metaphor can be a way to connect established ideas, known information , with new ideas, new information . Figurative language is the language of poetry and the arts. Learn to use figurative language to create vivid images in your reader’s mind that will not only give your writing a more distinctive style and make it more enjoyable to read but will also help make your argument more convincing. Learn to identify figurative language in your writing and the writing of others.

What is Figurative Language?

I t’s

• Personification & Metaphor Examples : “Your government is working night and day to repel this virus, and we will succeed, just as this country has seen off every alien invader for the last thousand years” (Boris Johnson)
• to make their compositions more engaging and clearer .
• to project an appropriate voice , tone , persona
• an attribute of prose, a style of writing, that is common among poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers.

Types of Figurative Language

Personification.

Related Concepts:  Concrete, Sensory Writing ;  Description ;  Code Switching ;  Figurative Language ;  Given to New Contract ;  Register ;  Vague Language ;  Writer-Based Prose Style

What Does Figurative Language Matter?

“All the world’s a stage” —have you ever wondered why people remember and quote lines from Shakespeare so much?

One of the reasons is because he used figurative language very effectively in his writings .

You may have heard the term figurative language before, and perhaps when you heard it you were in a class analyzing novels or poetry. But it’s not just used in literature: you can employ it in your academic and workplace writing to great effect.

Figurative language adds color to your writing by taking your words and applying them to other, often unexpected, objects or concepts.

Writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . . use figurative language to make a text more clear , engaging, interesting, evocative. Because figurative language is more dramatic and visual than concrete, sensory language , it enables you to better arrest your reader’s attention and perhaps cause him/her/they to pause and think more about your assertions. 

When interpreting texts, metaphors , similes , and personification can help you better understand complex and abstract ideas because you are attaching these abstract ideas to an image or human role and in that way making it more concrete and understandable.

Figurative language can also just make your writing more pleasurable to read and consequently more likely to gain your reader’s thoughtful consideration.  We all like to be entertained, even in just little ways, and are more likely to pay attention to things that seek to interest us.

Figurative Language, Clarity & Readability

• Engage in rhetorical analysis . Practice rhetorical reasoning to ensure that the use of figurative language is appropriate for your rhetorical context . Some genres—especially genres of poetry and fiction—rely extensively whereas other genres reject the use of figurative language or call for sparase use figurative language. Thus, as always, you need to engage in rhetorical analysis in order to determine whether or not it’s appropriate to use figurative language.
• Make your metaphors and similes understandable (you want to interest and intrigue your reader!)
• Stay away from clichéd comparisons (what’s the point of using figurative language if you’re just going to recycle the same tired metaphors?)
• Avoid using too much figurative language (a little goes a long way).
• Figurative language can be used in any part of your text . 

Recommended Resources

Plain Language: Beyond a Movement .

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How to Use Good Figurative Language for Essays

Table of contents

Figurative language is a great way to make your essays more engaging and interesting for your readers. Not only does it add depth and nuance to your writing, but it also makes your arguments more persuasive.

However, many students don't know how to use figurative language effectively when writing essays.

In this post, we'll explore some of the best ways to use figurative language in your essays . We'll also look at a few specific examples of how to use good figurative language for essays to help you get started. So if you want to add some punch to your writing, keep reading!

What is Figurative Language in Writing

A figurative language is a form of writing that uses words or expressions in a non-literal way to add interest. The terms used in figurative language are not to be taken literally. In other words, it's a literary device that adds deeper meaning to your essay and makes your writing more engaging.

Why do authors use figurative language?

Authors use figurative language to make their stories more interesting to the readers. They also use them to evoke emotional reactions so they can connect deeply with the readers and hold their attention.

Can you use figurative language in academic writing?

Yes. You can use figurative language in academic writing if you are tactical enough to use it well. Academic writing is not always flowery, and using many figures of speech may look like fluff. Therefore, you should use them sparingly.

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Importance of figurative language in essays.

Why resort to dull writing when you can use literary devices to help you express better, write impactfully and drive the message home? Here’s how you can take your writing to the next level by adding good figurative language for essays.

Makes essays interesting

Let's face it—plain, literal writing can be pretty boring. However, your essay becomes more enjoyable and interesting when you add a few well-chosen metaphors or similes. For instance, compare these two sentences:

Sentence 1: The wind was howling.

Sentence 2: The wind was like a wolf, howling at the moon.

While sentence 1 is not incorrect and reads fine, the second one is interesting and evocative.

Evokes emotions

In addition to making your essay more intriguing, figurative language makes it more evocative. This means that it can create an emotional reaction, which helps you connect better with your readers.

For example, if you're describing a sunset, you could say it was "red and orange." But if you want to evoke an emotional reaction, you could say, "The sunset was like a giant fireball, sinking slowly into the horizon."

Makes a persuasive argument

Finally, figurative language is also helpful when making a persuasive argument as in an argumentative essay . You can use them to communicate complicated ideas more clearly than in literal language.

For example, let's say you're trying to argue that somebody is acting selfishly. Instead of simply saying they're "selfish," you can drive your point home by saying, "She's acting like the world revolves around her!".

What are the 5 Main Types of Figurative Language

Now that you know what figurative language is and the importance of using them in essays, let’s take a look at the five main types of figurative language you can use, along with some examples.

A simile is a figure of speech that uses words "like" or "as" to compare two things that are not actually alike. Similes are often used in poetry and song lyrics to create imagery and help the reader visualize what the writer is saying.

For example, when you say, "My heart was like a rock tumbling down a mountainside," you are painting a vivid picture of how your heart reacted to a situation.

5 examples of a simile:

• As sweet as sugar;
• As strong as an ox;
• Swam like a fish;
• Busy as a bee;
• Cool as a cucumber.

2. Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two, unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." For example, you might say, "Love is a rose." to mean that love is beautiful and special, but it can also have thorns that can hurt you.

Metaphors are often used to make complex ideas more relatable and easier to understand.

5 examples of a metaphor:

• Life is a roller coaster ride;
• All the world is a stage;
• She lit up the room;
• He is the apple of my eye;
• John was a fish out of water in his new office.

3. Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an exaggeration used for emphasis or comic effect. It's often used in fiction and advertising to grab attention and make an impact.

5 examples of hyperbole:

• I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse;
• She slept for a thousand years;
• It’s raining cats and dogs;
• My work is killing me;
• This essay is going to take years.

4. Personification

Personification is a figurative language that gives human characteristics to nonhuman objects or concepts. It makes descriptions more vivid and interesting by making them relatable to human experiences.

5 examples of personification:

• Flowers danced in the breeze;
• The cameras loved her;
• London is calling;
• The plants were begging for water;
• Life passed me by.

5. Symbolism

Symbolism is when an object or action represents something else, usually something abstract, like an emotion or quality.

For instance, the color black often symbolizes death or darkness, while white might represent purity or innocence. In literature, authors often use symbolism to give their stories more depth and meaning.

Want to learn more about symbolism in writing? Check out this video by Reedsy .

4 Ways to Use Good Figurative Language for Essays

Figurative language can turn a simple description into a vivid work of art. However, it can be tough to know where to start if you've never used figurative language before. Here are some practical ways to add them to your essays.

Use hyperbole to reveal character traits

Hyperbole is an excellent tool to reveal the character traits of characters in your essay. You can use them to express how a particular character thinks, acts, feels, or behaves.

An exaggerated speech can show precisely how they feel about a situation. For instance, when a character says: "I tried calling you a million times!" This can reveal that the character is young, dramatic, and impatient.

Use metaphors to describe situations and settings

Similes and metaphors are the best figures of speech for describing situations or settings.

For instance, you could say, "Life is a journey" to describe the ups and downs of life's experiences. Or, you can say, "She was as angry as a hornet" to describe someone who was very angry.

Create some humor

You can use figurative language like hyperbole or personification to create a little humor in your essay. The exaggeration that comes with hyperbole can make your writing humorous and exciting to read.

For instance, when describing a disastrous date you went on, you might write: "He was chewing with his mouth open the whole time, and I was sure I saw something moving around in there. I don't think I've ever been so disgusted in my life."

By exaggerating the grossness of the situation, you add humor and a gross-out factor to your story, which will keep your readers entertained.

Use symbolism to give more meaning to objects

Make your readers think critically by giving more profound meaning to objects, animals, or characters with a symbolic meaning.

• Animals often symbolize various aspects of human nature. For example, the coyote is often seen as a trickster figure, while the bear often symbolizes strength.
• Colors often symbolize different ideas or emotions. For instance, white often represents purity or innocence, while black represents death or evil.

What is an example of a figurative language paragraph?

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes, "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun."

Shakespeare uses a simile to compare Juliet to the sun in this instance. He is saying that just as the sun brings light to the dawn, Juliet brings light into Romeo's life.

5 Tips To Use Figurative Language Effectively In Essays

When adding figurative language to your essays, you have to be tactical so they don't distort the meaning or disrupt the natural flow of your writing. Here are five tips on how to use figurative language effectively in essays.

Understand your goal

Before using any figurative language in your essay, know why you want to use them and whether they fit into the content. Also, understand whether they match the tone and style of your writing before adding them to the essay.

Use metaphors and similes sparingly

While metaphors and similes can make your essays interesting, they can become cliche and lose meaning if overused. When writing your essays, use them sparingly and only when they genuinely impact your writing.

Choose your words carefully

Figurative language is all about using words in new and interesting ways. When choosing your words and phrases, don't be afraid to experiment. Try out different figures of speech until you find the best fit for your essay context and message.

Strike a good balance

It's essential to strike a balance when using figurative language. Too much and it will become confusing and difficult to follow; too little and it will have no impact.

Find a middle ground that allows you to effectively communicate your ideas without overwhelming the reader.

Know the meaning

Finally, avoid flushing figures of speech into your essay just because you've heard them or read them somewhere. If you're unsure of the meaning, research and understand it first, and see if it fits your essay before ambiguously fixing words and phrases.

Final thoughts

Figurative language is a powerful tool that can add depth and dimension to your essays. Since they are diverse and dynamic, you must choose your words and phrases carefully to find the ones that work best for your essay.

Once you understand how to effectively use similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, and symbolism, you can create vivid images, emphasize important points, and set the tone for your story.

Now that you know how to add good figurative language for essays, don't hesitate to use them in your next essay writing assignment — you may be surprised by how striking and captivating your essay comes out.

At Writers Per Hour , we have expert writers who are aware of different literary devices such as figurative language and know how to use them to takes essays to the next level.

What’s more, apart from writing essays from scratch, we also provide editing and proofreading services and give your essays that final finishing touch that can help you get the grades you desire.

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, figurative language, definition of figurative language.

Figurative language is any figure of speech which depends on a non-literal meaning of some or all of the words used. There are many types of figurative language, including literary devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, and many pun examples, to name just a few. The definition of figurative language is opposite to that of literal language, which involves only the “proper” or dictionary definitions of words. Figurative language usually requires the reader or listener to understand some extra nuances, context, allusions, etc. in order to understand the second meaning. However, figurative language is such a common part of regular speech that adult native speakers of a language can just as easily interpret figurative language as literal language.

Types of Figurative Language

So many literary devices qualify as figurative language that the following list is certainly not exhaustive. These are the main examples of figurative language:

• Simile: A comparison between two unlike things through the use of connecting words, usually “like” or “as.”
• Metaphor: A rhetorical figure of speech that compares two subjects without the use of “like” or “as.”
• Extended Metaphor: Sometimes known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, an extended metaphor is a metaphor that an author develops over the course of many lines or even an entire work of literature.
• Hyperbole: The use of obvious and deliberate exaggeration.
• Understatement: A way of speaking which minimizes the significance of something.
• Metonymy: A figure of speech in which something is called by a new name that is related in meaning to the original thing or concept.
• Paradox: The juxtaposition of a set of seemingly contradictory concepts that reveal a hidden and/or unexpected truth.
• Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which two seemingly opposing and contradictory elements are juxtaposed.
• Allusion: A literary device used to reference another object outside of the work of literature.
• Pun: A play on words which usually hinges on a word with more than one meaning or the substitution of a homonym that changes the meaning of the sentence for humorous or rhetorical effect.
• Personification: The projection of characteristics that normally belong only to humans onto inanimate objects, animals, deities, or forces of nature.
• Onomatopoeia: A word that phonetically mimics or resembles the sound of the thing it describes.

Common Examples of Figurative Language

Most examples of idiom in English are also figurative language examples, such as the following:

• Actions speak louder than words.
• The ball is in your court.
• You can’t judge a book by its cover.
• We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
• I’ll play devil’s advocate.
• Every cloud has a silver lining.
• You’ve hit the nail on the head.
• It happens once in a blue moon.
• She stole my thunder.

Significance of Figurative Language in Literature

Ancient philosophers such as Aristotle (Greek) and Quintilian (Roman) were some of the first to theorize about the use and function of figurative language. Aristotle argued that figurative language was not merely an embellishment, but instead mirror the way humans actually process information, which is to say by comparing it to things we already know. Thus, when we use the simile, “Her fleece was white as snow,” this isn’t to provide a trivial comparison but instead to help the reader or listener imagine the purity of Mary’s lamb’s fleece.

We can find examples of figurative language in the majority of literary works. This is both because there are so many literary devices that qualify as figurative language and also because the human mind responds well to different types of figurative language. Indeed, many studies have shown that figurative language comes naturally to children and that it helps them understand new concepts. Therefore, when authors use examples of figurative language, they are trying to provide fresh or unique new ways of explaining things. However, they are also triggering a very important part of the human mind and creating new synapses.

Examples of Figurative Language in Literature

Example #1: allusion.

Are you then Virgil, the fountainhead that pours so full a stream of speech?” I answered him, my head bent low in shame.” O glory and light of all other poets, let my long study and great love avail that made me delve so deep into your volume. You are my teacher and my author. You are the one from whom alone I took the noble style that has brought me honor.”

( Inferno by Dante Alighieri)

Dante’s Inferno is filled with examples of allusions, as one of the main purposes was to condemn contemporary Italians from Dante’s day. The main allusion is to the poet Virgil, who serves as the guide to the underworld. Dante introduces Virgil in the above excerpt from the epic poem. Readers have to understand the character and importance of Virgil to understand the true meaning of this alliance; without this piece of figurative understanding the reader would miss out on many key aspects of the poem.

Example #2: Metaphor

JAQUES: All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances

( As You Like It by William Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare used numerous examples of figurative language in his plays and poetry. Indeed, most literary devices can be found somewhere in his texts. The above quote from his comedy As You Like It is one of the most famous examples of metaphor in all of literature. The character of Jaques is explaining to the Duke that life is much like actors in a play. Indeed, Jaques doesn’t just say that the world is “like” a stage; he avers that life is indeed a stage. This is a powerful metaphor from Shakespeare’s works as it explains what was most likely a truism for Shakespeare’s own life.

Example #3: Metonymy

MARC ANTONY: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

( Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)

Metonymy uses a part of the whole to refer to the whole. In this case, Marc Antony asks friends and Romans to “lend [him their] ears.” He is using the metonymic understanding of “ears” to refer to the entirety of their attention. He is, perhaps, being a bit humble in this request, as his eulogy for Caesar turns out to be a feat of rhetoric. Marc Anthony uses many different examples of figurative language to build his emotional appeal and connect with the listeners.

Example #4: Personification

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered— Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before— On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.” Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

(“The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe)

Edgar Allen Poe’s diabolical bird in his famous poem “The Raven” is a good example of personification. The bird takes on emotions such as loneliness and concepts like a soul, as well as the ability to speak. This bird ends up being a window into the narrator’s mind as he begins to go a bit insane. The personification is to show that not all is right with the narrator’s world.

Example #5: Hyperbole

I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street, I’ll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry

(“As I Walked One Evening” by W.H. Auden)

W.H. Auden uses many examples of hyperbole to describe his love in his poem “As I Walked One Evening.” It is popular to use hyperbole in love poetry, as it demonstrates the depths of the speaker’s love.

Test Your Knowledge of Figurative Language

1. Which of the following statements is the best figurative language definition? A. Archaic language that was only used for embellishment. B. A figure of speech that relies on the literal definitions of the words involved. C. A statement that uses non-literal meanings of words. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #1″] Answer: C is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

2. Why might an author choose to use an example of figurative language? A. To confuse their readers and challenge them to use parts of their brain they rarely use. B. To explain things in a new and fresh way that might help readers compare what they already know to the new concept. C. To create a way of defining things that is very alien to the way humans actually think. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #2″] Answer: B is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

3. Which of the following types of figurative language is displayed in the following quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo?

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

A. Metaphor B. Allusion C. Metonymy [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #3″] Answer: A is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

Understanding Figurative Language: A Comprehensive Guide

Figurative language overview, common types of figurative language, how to identify figurative language, figurative language in literature, figurative language in poetry, figurative language in prose, figurative language in day-to-day conversations, figurative language in popular culture, why figurative language matters in communication, ways to improve your figurative language skills.

Have you ever heard the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" and looked up to see if Fido and Whiskers were indeed falling from the sky? The phrase is an example of figurative language, a tool used by writers and speakers to enrich their communication. This blog post will help you have a better grasp of the definition of figurative language, its different types, and how it's used in various contexts. So, let's dive into this fascinating world of words and expressions together!

Simply put, figurative language is a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of the words. It's like a secret code you have to decode to get the real meaning. But don't worry—you don't need to be a spy to understand it; you just need to pay a bit more attention to words and how they're used. Often, people use figurative language to make their speech or writing more interesting, colorful, or impactful.

Here's the definition of figurative language for you: Figurative language is a method of expression that uses words or phrases out of their literal meaning to achieve a more complex or special effect. Think of it as the salt and pepper of language—it adds flavor and zest to otherwise bland sentences.

• Metaphor: "Life is a roller-coaster." Here, life isn't literally a roller-coaster, but this phrase helps convey the ups and downs of life.
• Simile: "She runs like a deer." Again, she's not literally a deer. This phrase is just a way to illustrate her speed and gracefulness.
• Hyperbole: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Don't worry, no horses are harmed in the process. It's just a humorous way to express extreme hunger.

These are just a few examples of figurative language. There are many more types, each with its unique charm and impact. Understanding the definition of figurative language and its types can help you better appreciate the beauty of language and improve your communication skills. So, are you ready to dive deeper? Let's go!

Familiarizing yourself with the common types of figurative language can make your reading, writing, and daily conversations much more engaging and enjoyable. So, let's take a closer look at some of the most common types, shall we?

• Simile : A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as'. For example, "Busy as a bee," compares someone's level of activity to a bee's.
• Metaphor : A metaphor makes a comparison without using 'like' or 'as'. "Time is a thief," is a classic example of a metaphor. It means that time passes quickly and often unnoticed, like a thief who comes and goes without being detected.
• Personification : Personification gives human characteristics to non-human things. "The sun smiled down on us," is an example where the sun is given the human ability to smile.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. If you've ever said, "I've told you a million times," then you've used hyperbole.
• Onomatopoeia : Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it represents, like 'buzz', 'hiss', or 'sizzle'.
• Idiom : An idiom is a phrase with a figurative meaning that's different from its literal meaning. "Break a leg," is an idiom that actually means "good luck."

These are just a few of the many types of figurative language we use in our daily life. Once you understand the definition of figurative language and become familiar with these types, you'll start noticing them everywhere, from books and poems to TV shows and advertisements. Ready to dive into the next section?

Now that we've explored the definition of figurative language and its various types, let's learn how to identify them in text and conversation. It's not as tricky as you might think.

Tip 1: Look for comparisons : Figurative language often involves some form of comparison. If you see words like 'as', 'like', or 'than', you might be dealing with a simile or a metaphor.

Tip 2: Watch out for personification : If you notice non-human things being described with human characteristics, that's personification. For instance, "The wind whistled through the trees."

Tip 3: Spot exaggerations : Hyperboles are all about overstatement. If something seems ridiculously exaggerated, chances are it's a hyperbole.

Tip 4: Listen for sound words : Onomatopoeia is all about words that mimic sounds. If a word sounds like the noise it's describing, it's probably onomatopoeia.

Tip 5: Decode idioms : Idioms can be tricky because their meanings aren't literal. But if a phrase seems strange or nonsensical, you might be dealing with an idiom.

Remember, figurative language is all about adding color and depth to language. It's the spice in the soup of conversation and the color in the painting of literature. By understanding the definition of figurative language and learning to identify it, you're taking a big step toward appreciating the richness of language. So, are you ready to spot some figurative language in the wild?

Figurative language is the lifeblood of literature. It's the heartbeat that keeps a story alive, vivid, and engaging. So, let's dive into some examples of how authors use figurative language to create unforgettable narratives.

Metaphor : In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", the title itself is a metaphor. The act of killing a mockingbird symbolizes the destruction of innocence.

Simile : J.K. Rowling, in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", uses a simile to describe a character's voice: "Her voice was high, rather breathy, and she spoke as though she was permanently on the verge of a sort of giggly collapse."

Personification : In "1984" by George Orwell, the author personifies the clocks: "The clocks were striking thirteen."

Hyperbole : In "Alice in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll uses hyperbole to emphasize Alice's growing size: "She grew so tall that she seemed to shoot up like a telescope."

Onomatopoeia : In "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, onomatopoeia is used to create sound effects: "There came a 'drip-drip-drip' from the branches."

Figurative language has an incredible ability to capture our imaginations and make literature come alive. It's one of the reasons why we can so vividly picture Hogwarts, empathize with a mockingbird, and feel the oppressive weight of Big Brother watching. By understanding the definition of figurative language and its role in literature, you're well on your way to becoming a more perceptive reader.

Just as a painter uses colors and strokes to create an image, poets use figurative language to paint vivid pictures with their words. Let's look at a few examples that illuminate the definition of figurative language in the world of poetry.

Metaphor : In Emily Dickinson's "Hope is the thing with feathers", hope is metaphorically depicted as a bird that perches in the soul and sings unwaveringly, even in the hardest times.

Simile : In "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns, the poet uses a simile to describe his love: "O my Luve is like a red, red rose."

Personification : In "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth, daffodils are personified as dancing and fluttering in the breeze, providing comfort and joy to the lonely narrator.

Hyperbole : In "As I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Auden, the poet uses hyperbole to emphasize the enduring nature of love: "I'll love you till the ocean is folded and hung up to dry."

Onomatopoeia : Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells" is a famous example of onomatopoeia in poetry, with words that mimic the sounds of the bells they describe: "How they clang, and clash, and roar!"

So, whether it's a metaphor that gives hope wings, a simile that turns love into a vibrant rose, or onomatopoeia that brings the sound of bells to life, figurative language is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled poet. It adds depth, beauty, and emotional resonance to the verses, making each poem a unique and moving experience.

Just as a chef uses spices to add flavor to a dish, writers of prose use figurative language to spice up their narratives. Prose, like novels or short stories, is full of opportunities to explore the definition of figurative language. Let's take a peek into some classics.

Metaphor : In "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, the mockingbird itself is a metaphor for innocence and goodness, harmed by injustice and prejudice.

Simile : J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series is teeming with similes. For instance, Harry's infamous scar is described as being "like a bolt of lightning."

Personification : Charles Dickens often personified objects and ideas in his works. In "A Tale of Two Cities", he opens with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," personifying time itself.

Hyperbole : In "The Catcher in the Rye", J.D. Salinger's protagonist Holden Caulfield is known for his dramatic exaggerations, such as when he declares, "I'd probably be the only person who got hit by a car and then run over by a cab."

Irony : George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is a masterclass in irony, as he critiques totalitarian regimes through a seemingly simple farmyard tale.

Figurative language enriches prose, making even the most mundane descriptions intriguing. It helps to create memorable characters, build dramatic tension, and evoke emotional responses, making reading a more engaging and immersive experience. It's like a secret sauce — just a dash can transform the flavor of the story.

Figurative language doesn't just live in the pages of your favorite novel — it's part of our everyday chatter too! We often use figurative language without even realizing it. Don't believe me? Let's walk through some examples:

Idioms : Ever said, "It's raining cats and dogs" when it's pouring outside? That's an idiom, a phrase that doesn't make sense if you take it literally but is understood as a common expression.

Metaphors : If you've ever claimed to be "drowning in homework," then you've used a metaphor. No, there's no actual water involved, but it paints a vivid picture of the overwhelming workload, doesn't it?

Hyperboles : "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" — sounds familiar? That's a hyperbole. Unless you're an actual horse-eater, you're using this phrase to emphasize your extreme hunger.

These are just a few examples of how we use figurative language in our day-to-day conversations. It adds color to our speech, making it more expressive and interesting. So next time, when you're "on cloud nine" or feeling "under the weather," remember — that's the power of figurative language at work!

Just like in our everyday conversations, figurative language also takes center stage in popular culture. It's everywhere — from song lyrics to movie lines, from political speeches to advertisements. Here are a few places where the definition of figurative language really shines:

Song Lyrics : Remember the hit song "Firework" by Katy Perry? The lyrics, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?" is a beautiful example of a simile, comparing a person's feeling of aimlessness to a plastic bag drifting in the wind.

Movie Lines : When Forrest Gump famously said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get," he used a simile to express the unpredictability of life.

Advertisements : Have you noticed how car advertisements often use metaphors? Phrases like "This car is a beast" or "Experience lightning speed" are common, making the product more appealing by using figurative language.

So, whether you're jamming to your favorite tune, watching a blockbuster, or just looking at billboards on the highway, you're experiencing figurative language. It's the secret ingredient that makes our pop culture so engaging and relatable.

Now that we've seen how the definition of figurative language plays out in popular culture, let's get to the heart of the matter: Why is it so important in communication?

1. Adds Spice to Our Speech: Figurative language is like the spice in your favorite dish. It adds flavor to your conversations and makes your speech more interesting. Imagine eating a plate full of plain rice every day — wouldn't that be boring? Similarly, conversations without figurative language are plain and uninteresting.

2. Engages the Listener: Figurative language paints a picture in the listener's mind. When you say "It's raining cats and dogs," the listener doesn't just understand that it's raining heavily; they actually visualize it, making the conversation more engaging.

3. Expresses Complex Ideas: Sometimes, it's hard to express complex emotions or ideas directly. That's where figurative language comes in. Saying "I'm feeling blue" is much easier and more expressive than explaining the specifics of your sadness.

4. Helps in Persuasion: If you've ever watched a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. or read a Harry Potter book, you'll know how persuasive figurative language can be. It's a powerful tool that can sway opinions and stir emotions.

So next time you're having a conversation, remember the importance of figurative language. It's not just a fancy literary device, it's a vital part of our communication. And who knows? With a dash of metaphor or a sprinkle of simile, you might just become the life of the party!

So, you've got the definition of figurative language down, and you understand why it's important. Awesome! Now, how about we try to improve your figurative language skills? Here are some simple, practical steps you can take:

1. Read, Read, Read: Reading is one of the best ways to improve your figurative language skills. From novels to newspapers, figurative language is everywhere. The more you read, the more familiar you'll get with different types of figurative language.

2. Practice Writing: Start incorporating figurative language into your writing. You can use similes, metaphors, personification, or any other type of figurative language that you like. The key here is practicing regularly.

3. Use Figurative Language in Conversations: Try to use figurative language in your daily conversations. Don't worry if it feels unnatural at first. With practice, it will become second nature.

4. Reflect on the Figurative Language You Encounter: Whenever you come across figurative language, take a moment to reflect on it. Understand its meaning, why it's used, and how it enhances the message.

5. Learn from the Masters: There are many songwriters, poets, and authors who are masters of figurative language. Learn from them. Listen to songs by Bob Dylan, read poems by Maya Angelou, or read novels by J.K. Rowling. See how they use figurative language to convey their messages.

Improving your figurative language skills is a journey, not a destination. So, take it one step at a time, practice regularly, and most importantly, have fun with it. Happy learning!

For a deeper understanding of how figurative language can inspire your visual creations, check out Juliet Schreckinger's workshop, ' Composing Complex Illustrations using Basic Shapes .' This workshop will guide you through the process of turning abstract concepts and ideas into compelling visual compositions, using basic shapes as the foundation.

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75+ Examples of Figurative Language

• Figurative Language
• Updated on Nov 12, 2023

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Figurative language makes writing – and even speaking – more expressive and easier to understand. When done well, it lends style to your writing.

More resources on figurative language:

• What is figurative language? The resource covers how figurative language improves writing, dos and don’ts while writing figuratively, and more.
• Exercises on figurative language

(Note that key parts of each figure of speech have been underlined for you to easily follow them and that my comments accompanying examples are in square brackets.)

Examples of using different types of figurative language on a given topic

When writing on a topic, it’s convenient to first brainstorm and write variety of figures of speech on that topic, and then incorporate them in your piece. This is probably a better way to polish your figurative language. Here are multiple figures of speech on two topics. Give a try yourself first and see how many you can write.

1. Cold weather

Fetching grocery in the cold was a death sentence . [Metaphor]

The snowstorm left behind a thick blanket of snow in most parts of the state, government declaring emergency , people staying indoors , air traffic grounding , and power failing in some areas . [Metaphor/ Parallelism (absolute phrases)]

The predawn snowfall smothered our chances of having an outdoor game. [Personification/ Metaphor]

The cold wind pierced my bones. [Personification/ Metaphor]

Fetching grocery in the cold was like a death sentence . [Simile]

It was a frigid night, freezing blood in my veins . [Hyperbole/ Alliteration]

“When will the weather improve?” the old man moaned . [Onomatopoeia]

The dog yelped as the gust of cold wind struck his face. [Onomatopoeia]

2. Nervous while waiting for the result

My heart skipped few beats while waiting for the result. [Idiom]

My heart failed few times while waiting for the result. [Hyperbole/ Alliteration (2)]

In the moments before the result was declared, I was an undertrial moments away from the verdict . [Metaphor]

While waiting for the result, my heart requested me to take a stroll and stop thinking about the worst. [Personification/ Metaphor]

In the moments before the result was declared, I was like an undertrial moments away from the verdict . [Simile]

While waiting for the result, my heart pounded like a set of drums in a music event . [Onomatopoeia/ Simile]

Examples of each of 8 figurative languages

1. alliteration.

The dog sprinted across the field to fetch the ball.

The virulent virus has disrupted lives and deflated economies.

In these troubled times , travel has come down to a trickle .

The iguanas make deep dives in the ocean to feed on marine algae.

The shark surfaced to breathe.

The slow sloth inched up the tree trunk .

The business centre is buzzing with activity.

The deafening downpour has resulted in flash floods .

More resources on alliteration:

• More than 150 alliteration examples on 7 topics
• What is alliteration and how to write one?

2. Hyperbole

I felt as abandoned as a used Kleenex .

During probation period, I felt like a bug under the microscope .

The movie went on for what seemed like  an eternity .

The leaping catch by the fielder took my breath away .

Your decrepit furniture seems to be from Jurassic era .

My new shoes, little bit tight, are killing me.

Kids are so overloaded these days. Just look at their bags; they weigh a ton .

The food was so delicious that I almost ate my fingers .

More resources on hyperbole:

• More than 100 examples of hyperbole
• What is hyperbole and how to write one?

The scandal proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the mayor.

Some of the bank employees have been allegedly working hand in glove with business owners to sanction loans without proper due diligence.

I jumped the gun by sending the proposal to the client without first showing it to my manager.

I’ve made the request few times in the past, but it has always fallen on deaf ears .

The boss cut that arrogant guy to size in no time.

I spent two hours cooling my heels in the waiting room while the CFO was busy in a meeting.

I was left out in the cold in the annual promotions in the company.

The IP for our key technology has been leaked, and many in my team, including the manager, are under a cloud .

More resources on idiom:

• More than 200 idioms with meaning and use
• What are idioms and why non-natives should learn them?

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4. Metaphor

During the moments before the result was declared, I was a tax payer who had just received an audit notice from the IRA : extremely nervous.

My loans are a millstone around my neck , keeping me tied to my 9-to-5 job.

My night shift is a graveyard : not a soul in sight, complete silence, and an occasional howl from the street dogs.

Journalism is literature in hurry . Matthew Arnold

The world is a stage , but the play is badly cast. Oscar Wilde

Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it . Albert Smith

Jonah Lomu, a rampaging bull with the ball , is widely recognized as one of the greatest of the game. [An appositive acting as a metaphor]

His fortress of a house was finally breached by the intelligence agencies. [Implied metaphor]

More resources on metaphor:

• More than 100 examples of metaphors
• Metaphor examples for kids
• What is metaphor and how to write one?

5. Onomatopoeia

Nervous, I babbled my way through the first few minutes of the interview.

Finding the sheep at her mercy, the witch cackled before waving her wand.

I caught my head on the door and howled in pain.

The car screeched to a stop.

I was taken aback by the dog’s snarl ; a moment earlier, he seemed so friendly.

I was chomping my chicken piece unconcerned by the reaction of others around.

Don’t slurp the soup! It’s bad manners.

The race car turned the curve and then vroomed on the home stretch.

More resources on onomatopoeia:

• Examples of 140+ onomatopoeic words (with meaning and use)
• What is onomatopoeia and its common errors?

6. Parallelism

Many accidents could be attributed to human errors, but faulty road design , absence of street lights , lack of dividers , and potholes on roads also contribute to such incidents. Source [Noun phrases in parallel]

Cheetah hunts impalas and rabbits , lives in coalition and singly , and communicates through variety of sounds . [Verb phrases in parallel]

Usain Bolt was quick off the blocks , fast in the middle , and exceptional at the finish . [Adjective phrases in parallel]

Located at the end of the street and protected by a sturdy fence , the house has had no occupants in nearly two years. [Past participial phrases in parallel]

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant . Robert Louis Stevenson [Prepositional phrase in parallel]

Live in the sunshine , swim the sea , drink the wild air . Ralph Waldo Emerson [Clauses in parallel. Note that you don’t see a subject here because it’s an imperative sentence.]

Joe’s dress was better than that of Mac . [Parallelism when comparing]

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t , you’re right. Henry Ford [Parallelism with correlative conjunction]

More resources on parallelism:

• More than 80 examples of parallelism
• How to write parallel sentences that make writing impactful?

7. Personification

Covid-19 stalked continent after continent with no remorse.

My first novel got crucified .

Chocolate frog, a new species of frog found, has been shying away from mankind for time immemorial.

The kettle hissed and bellowed steam.

Saying they were last polished two weeks back, the shoes begged for a polish.

The lock shrieked in pain as I rattled the wrong key in it.

The carved pumpkin sat on the table, smiling and observing Halloween preparations.

The ball, after being hit hard, sailed over the boundary line and landed in the third tier of the stadium

More resources on personification:

• More than 180 examples of personification
• What is personification and how to write one step-by-step?

Investing in such junk bonds is like carrying water in a sieve .

I had grand dreams, but, when faced with reality, they went down, much like how Titanic went down after colliding with the iceberg .

The vagabond roamed the streets like a tin can swept by wind .

Playing polo is like trying to play golf during an earthquake . Sylvester Stallone

The hackers made off with millions of dollars from the bank, taking advantage of their lax security which was as strong as the one provided by our street dog drunk on a liter of beer .

Public speaking is as easy for me as putting toothpaste back in tube .

The seal couldn’t escape from the shark’s vice-like grip . [An adjective acting as simile]

His concern for building a career was no more than the concern of well-fed lions for the next meal . [Similes formed through comparison words other than like and as ]

More resources on simile:

• More than 120 examples of similes
• Simile examples for kids
• What is simile and how to write one?

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Using Figurative Language | Figures of Speech

Figurative language is words and phrases that go beyond their literal meaning, to make a point more strongly. There are many different types of figurative language, or figures of speech. They include similes, metaphors and analogies, which all aim to improve understanding by making comparisons with more familiar situations or objects. Others include assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia, which all use the sounds of words to heighten their impact.

This page describes some of the common figures of speech, and provides examples of their use. It will therefore help you to ensure that you use figurative language correctly in both speech and writing.

Comparisons

There are several types of figures of speech that make comparisons with other situations. These are designed to make a point or explain something by showing you in more familiar terms.

Analogies make a comparison between two similar things, as a way to make a point .

In other words, the purpose of an analogy is not the comparison in itself, but the point that it makes. You will therefore often see the point itself follow the analogy.

For example:

“ Life is like a sewer: what you get out of it depends on what you put in ” Tom Lehrer

This is far funnier and more memorable than simply saying ‘What you get out of life depends on what you put in’.

Analogies in business writing and blogs

One very common form of blog post is the metaphor or analogy post. These use a common situation or experience to make points about business practice. Real-life examples on one simple subject (lessons from owning a dog) include:

• Ten life lessons that we can learn from dogs
• Leadership lessons from a dog owner
• What dog ownership taught me about leadership.

Some people dislike these articles, and consider them laboured. However, they can be a good way to get a point across. The key is not to get lost in the metaphor.

In other words, know what point you want to make, and use the metaphor to illustrate it. Do not allow the metaphor to be the point itself.

There is more about using metaphors, analogies and other stories in business in our page on Storytelling in Business .

Metaphors are a comparison made without using as or like

In a metaphor, the author or writer makes a comparison by simply stating that something ‘is’ something else. For example:

“The moon was a ghostly galleon, tossed on cloudy seas.” From The Highwayman , by Alfred Noyes.

Her smile was sunshine on a summer’s day.

These examples of metaphors are all explicit: they use the word ‘was’ or ‘is’ to make the comparison.

However, metaphors can also be implicit. In other words, rather than saying ‘is’ or ‘was’, the comparison is implied by the words around it. For example, you might describe a group of people as a ‘forest’ rather than a crowd, to make them sound more mindless.

Similes make a direct comparison using the term as or like.

This makes them relatively easy to spot. For example:

• He was as hungry as a hunter.
• Her eyes gleamed in the darkness like a cat’s.

Similes are generally used to provide a better description, and to create a more vivid picture.

Metaphors, similes and analogies: what’s the real difference?

Both metaphors and similes can be used as part of an analogy. Indeed, some authorities say that they are actually forms of analogy.

More precisely, the distinction is that similes and metaphors only make a comparison, with or without the terms ‘like’ or ‘as’. Analogies take that comparison, and make a point with it.

With similes and metaphors, the reader is left to draw their own conclusions about the comparison.

Figures of speech that use sound to increase impact

There are several forms of figurative speech that use the sound of the words to increase their impact.

Alliteration is repetition of sounds at the start of several words that are close together

Examples include:

She heard the sound of the sea on the shore

Here, the effect is heightened because the repeated s sound is actually very like the sound of waves on a beach. It therefore invokes more of the reader’s senses, and heightens the impact. Different senses are processed in different parts of the brain, so engaging more senses uses more of your brain. This seems to make a passage like this more memorable and engaging.

Assonance is repetition of vowel sounds within several words that are close together

Examples include death threats , ran ragged and Please Please Me.

This repetition emphasises the words with the repeated sound, and highlights them for the reader or listener. Our brains like repetition, and again, it seems to make words or phrases more memorable.

Onomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like the noise they describe

Examples include splash, slosh, bark and buzz .

Like alliteration, this forces the reader to engage more of their senses, and therefore increases the impact of the words.

Other Figures of Speech

Other figures of speech and figurative language include:

Personification, where something non-human is given human-sounding characteristics . For example, The wind whistled through the trees , or The river gurgled over the stones.

Hyperbole, or excessive exaggeration. For example, I jumped a mile!

Irony is the juxtaposition of unexpected events and outcomes, or surprising or amusing coincidences or contradictions. It would, for example, be ironic if a fire station burned down, or a police station was burgled, or a marriage guidance counsellor turned out to be cheating on their spouse.

An ironic definition of irony

irony , n. the opposite of wrinkly

Idiom, or phrases with a meaning beyond the literal. Idioms include phrases like “raining cats and dogs”, meaning ‘raining very hard’, and “a piece of cake” meaning ‘easy’. Idioms generally do not translate well into other languages: there may be a similar expression, but it is unlikely to be a direct translation. They are therefore particularly hard for non-native speakers of a language to understand and use correctly.

Idiomatic language

When we talk about being able to talk idiomatically, we do not mean using lots of idioms. Instead, the phrase is used to mean using the language like a native speaker, idioms and all.

Ironically, therefore, the term ‘idiomatic language’ is actually almost an idiom itself.

Symbolism is the use of an object to represent something else. This is usually a higher feeling or power. For example, in the legends of King Arthur, the sword Excalibur is a symbol of bravery and royalty. In Tolkien’s novels, the One Ring is a symbol of darkness.

Allusion is a reference in film or literature to another work or characters . It does not have to be explicit. For example, the film Chicken Run contains numerous allusions to the World War Two film, The Great Escape. Bridget Jones’ Diary and its sequel are nods towards the novels of Jane Austen, containing many similar plot devices.

Beware figurative language that has become a cliché

Some figures of speech have been so overused that they have become clichés.

This might include some very well-known similes, or metaphors that have been made so often that they are getting a bit tired.

It is worth trying to coin new comparisons and being original in your writing. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it can also be lazy.

You can find out more about clichés in our page Understanding and Avoiding Clichés .

A Final Word

Figurative language is often what makes a language come alive.

Whether in speech or on the page or screen, it helps to deepen descriptions, heighten the impact of words, and emphasise a point. Too much figurative language can indeed be too much—but using some is important to ensure that your writing or speech is memorable and unique.

Continue to: Creative Writing Avoiding Common Mistakes in Writing

See also: Active and Passive Voice Business Storytelling Writing for Children

What is figurative language?

Figurative language refers to words or phrases that are meaningful, but not literally true. If you say “that news hit me like a ton of bricks,” you are using figurative language; listeners understand the news you got was deeply moving, and also know that you were not actually hit by 2000 pounds of bricks (because if you had been you would be dead). Similarly, if you say “he begged me to reconsider, but I had a heart of stone, and I refused,” you are also using figurative language; listeners understand that you are describing yourself as inflexible or unforgiving, and know that your heart is not actually made of stone (because if it were you would be dead).

This fellow is literally swimming in money

There are many ways to use figurative language. Here are some of the more common types, and examples of their use.

An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own. Many (although not all) idioms are examples of figurative language.

“ Hold your horses ,” the teacher told the students as they were leaving school. (The teacher told the student to slow down, and did not mean that they should pick up their four-legged animals) He was up in the air about whether to go to the concert. (He was undecided, and was not suspended above the ground) The dog ate the muffins in a flash . (The dog ate the muffins quickly, and there was no sudden burst of light) The senator was renowned for throwing his colleagues under the bus in election season. (He was known for blaming others in order to gain an advantage, and was not actually pushing anyone under a moving vehicle)

Metaphors and similes are another category of figurative language use. A metaphor substitutes a word or phrase with one that makes an analogy or explanation with an image.

My desk had a mountain of paperwork on it. (There was no actual mountain, just a large amount of paper) My aunt is a walking encyclopedia , and everyone wanted her on their team on game night. (The aunt is a person with considerable knowledge, but is not actually a multi-volume set of books with legs) He sat quietly, letting her words  soak in . (This person is taking in information, but they are not actually soaking wet while doing so)

A simile is a phrase that uses the words  like  or  as  to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar.

Fast as lightning , I picked up the paper and read it. (The paper was picked up very quickly; if the person picking it up had been as fast as lightning the paper would had been damaged) Traffic is moving as slow as molasses . (Traffic is moving very slowly, as molasses often does when one tries to pour it out) I am so tired I will sleep like a baby . (Saying you will sleep like a baby means you will sleep deeply, but we don’t know if that is how a baby will sleep; some babies sleep well, and others sleep poorly)

Figurative use of language also takes the form of extreme exaggeration, or hyperbole . This very often expresses an impossibility or near impossibility:

She literally was swimming in money. (The person described did not actually swim through a pool of currency, but merely had a lot of money) Tickets sold out at light speed. (The tickets sold very quickly; they did not move at 299,792,458 meters per second) The show went on forever. (The show lasted for a very long time)

Personification

Finally, if we give our words qualities or abilities that people have but that the things we are describing can’t logically possess, the result is a different kind of figurative language called personification .

We saw lights dance in the distance. (The lights are twinkling, but are not actually performing a waltz) The wind was howling all night. (The wind was making a noise, but was not using its vocal cords to cry out in grief) The words jumped off the page. (The words made a strong and immediate impression on the reader, but they remained in place on the page on which they had been printed)

In some cases it can be very simple to distinguish one type of figurative language from another: if you say ‘my love is like a flower’ you are using a simile, and if you say ‘my love is a flower’ you are using a metaphor. In other cases, however, you may not be able to easily say whether an example of figurative language is an idiom, hyperbole, or a metaphor (and it may be a combination of some or all of these things).

Using figurative language allows a writer to be both playful and to communicate information effectively to readers. It provides tools for a writer to paint a picture with words (the words are bringing images to the reader’s mind; we do not have groups of letters banding together and wielding paintbrushes and paint).

MORE RHETORICAL DEVICE EXAMPLES

• One-Word Oxymorons
• Pop Song Rhetoric
• New Meanings for Onomatopoeia

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7 Figurative Language

• Published: June 2015
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Chapter 7 presents two theories of figurative language and argues in favor of Sperber and Wilson’s view that figurative language is no different from supposedly non-figurative language as far and the brain’s interpretive mechanisms are concerned. The chapter looks specifically at Wallace Stevens’s poem “The Emperor of Ice Cream” to demonstrate how even a master poet can get tangled up in his own metaphors.

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