Have you ever heard someone talk about “butterflies in their stomach” when they’re nervous? There aren’t actually butterflies inside of their stomach—that would be cruel! They’re just using figurative language to describe the uneasy sensation in their body that feels as if a butterfly were moving around inside them.
So why not just say that? What does figurative language add to our conversations and writing — and how many types of figurative language do you encounter every day?
What Is Figurative Language?
Figurative language refers to using words in a way that deviates from the conventional order and meaning to convey a complicated meaning, colorful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison. It uses an ordinary sentence to refer to something without directly stating it.
Basically, figurative language is anytime you stretch the actual meaning of words for effect, whether to sound artistic, make a joke, or communicate more clearly and engagingly. Figurative language is a common technique in narrative writing, where the author strives to make emotional connections with the reader.
The opposite of figurative language is literal language, or phrasing that uses the exact meaning of the words without imagination or exaggeration. For example, if an athlete is doing well, you might say they’re “on fire” figuratively. If their clothes catch on fire (which hopefully doesn’t happen), then they’d be on fire literally.
Here Are The Examples Of Figurative Language:
- 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.
- The three-piece suit fit him like a glove.
- The student’s backpack weighed a ton.
- The silence was deafening.
- I was busy doing nothing.
- She picked up the trash like a Good Samaritan.
- He was a regular Einstein.
- Ding dong. Someone was at the door.
- 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.
Why Use Figurative Language?
Figurative language compares things to give them more detail. We use figurative language to help the reader better understand what we are trying to describe.
The chief function of figurative language is to communicate the writer’s message as clearly as possible.
- That might be by putting a foreign concept into familiar terms that a reader or listener can easily grasp, or it might be by creating imagery that’s vivid and visceral.
- Some types of figurative language also have other uses unrelated to their role in creating imagery. For example, writers use alliteration, consonance, and assonance alongside rhyme to give words rhythm and musicality.
It’s all about choosing the correct wording for what you want to say.
- You are a shining star. (You stand out and excel.)
- You are the ray of the sun. (You bring happiness and positivity.)
- You are a rough diamond. (You have great potential despite your current flaws.)
- You are a breath of fresh air. (You bring new ideas and vitality.)
- You’re a fish out of water. (You feel uncomfortable or out of place.)
- You are a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (You seem harmless, but you have ulterior motives.)
- You are a walking encyclopedia. (You have extensive knowledge.)
- You are a needle in a haystack. (You are hard to find or identify.)
- You are a bull in a China shop. (You are clumsy or lack finesse.)
- you are a firecracker (You are energetic and lively.)
Examples of Figurative Language: The 10 Types
Figurative language is used in literature like poetry, drama, prose and even speeches. Figures of speech are literary devices that are also used throughout our society and help relay important ideas in a meaningful way.
Here are 10 common types of figures language and some examples of figurative language in use:
- Personification
- Hyperbole
- Metaphor
- Simile
- Onomatopoeia
- Alliteration
- Idiom
- Oxymoron
- Synecdoche
- Allusion
Examples of Personification
Personification is a figure of speech that is used to attribute human characteristics to something that is not human. It can also be used to personify an abstract quality.
Here are the examples of Personification:
- My alarm yelled at me this morning.
- I like onions, but they don’t like me.
- The sign on the door insulted my intelligence.
- My phone is not cooperating with me today.
- That bus is driving too fast.
- My computer works very hard.
- However, the mail is running unusually slow this week.
- I wanted to get money, but the ATM died.
- This article says that spinach is good for you.
- Unfortunately, when she stepped on the Lego, her foot cried.
Examples of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a rhetorical device that is mainly used to make something look and sound a lot better than it actually is. In other words, it can be said to be a form of exaggeration.
Here are the examples:
- I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
- She’s as old as the hills.
- I walked a million miles to get here.
- She can hear a pin drop a mile away.
- I died of embarrassment.
- He’s as skinny as a toothpick.
- She’s as tall as a beanpole.
- New York is a city that never sleeps.
- I have a ton of papers to grade.
- Our car cost us an arm and a leg.
Examples Of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.
A metaphor is a direct comparison without using the comparative words “like” or “as.” Metaphors equate the two things being compared to elicit a stronger connection and deepen the meaning of the comparison. Some metaphors, which continue for several lines or an entire piece, are called extended metaphors.
Here are the examples:
- Life is a highway.
- Her eyes were diamonds.
- He is a shining star.
- The snow is a white blanket.
- She is an early bird.
- Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks.
- The classroom was a zoo.
- He is a night owl.
- Mario is a chicken.
- Her eyes were fireflies.
Examples of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and uses the words “like” or “as” and they are commonly used in everyday communication. A simile is used with the aim of sparking an interesting connection in the reader’s mind.
An example of a simile is, “The cat sat in the chair like a king overlooking his kingdom.” The cat’s sitting posture is compared to that of a king who relaxes in a special chair that is reserved for him and not any other person in the kingdom.
Other examples of similes include:
- My love is like a red rose.
- My brother and I fight like cats and dogs all the time.
- Iniyan is always as busy as a bee.
- My cousin chatters like a monkey.
- Kitty is as proud as a peacock.
- Sruthy works like a sloth.
- My dog, Shadow, eats like a pig after I take him for a walk.
- Stephen slept like a baby after working for ten long hours.
- My father has eyes like a hawk. He finds out even the minutest of things.
- Bob is as cunning as a fox.
Examples of Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech that uses words to describe the sounds made by all living things including people, animals, birds, and all inanimate objects.
Examples of onomatopoeia include:
- Bash – hit hard.
- Belch – expels gas from the stomach.
- Chirp – a sharp sound made by small birds or insects.
- Ding-dong – the noise made by a bell.
- Giggle – laugh nervously.
- Hum – sing with closed lips.
- Hiccup – a spasm of the diaphragm that produces a sound.
- Toot – a blast of a horn.
- Whirr – the sound of something in rapid motion
- Ahem – the utterance of sound similar to cleaning the throat.
Examples of Alliteration
Alliteration is when two or more words that start with the same sound are used repeatedly in a phrase or a sentence. The repeated sound creates alliteration – not the same letter.
For example, ‘tasty tacos’ is considered an alliteration, but ‘thirty typists’ is not, because ‘th’ and ‘ty’ don’t sound the same. Alliteration is a type of repetition – a repetition of sounds.
Other examples of alliteration include:
- Accidental acceptance
- Eagle eye
- Imaginative improvisation
- Open ocean
- Umpire union
- ‘Clary closed her cluttered clothes closet.’
- ‘Harry hurried home to watch football on TV.’
- ‘Rachel ran right until she realized she was running round and round.’
- ‘Polly’s prancing pony performed perfectly.’
- ‘The boy buzzed around as busy as a bee.’
Examples of Idiom
An idiom is a commonly used expression that has acquired a meaning different from its literal meaning. Idiomatic phrases vary by culture and language. They are often difficult to grasp for language learners because the expression’s true meaning differs from what is being expressed.
Other examples of Idiom include:
- Under the weather.
- The ball is in your court.
- Spill the beans.
- Pull someone’s leg.
- Sat on the fence.
- Once in a blue moon.
- It’s the best thing since sliced bread.
- Take it with a pinch of salt.
- Come rain or shine.
- Jump on the bandwagon.
Examples of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a rhetorical device that uses two opposite or contradictory terms one after the other in order to project an effect.
Other examples of oxymoron include:
- Almost exactly
- Awfully good
- Deafening silence
- Freezer Burn
- Living dead
- Loyal opposition
- Old news
- Only choice
- Open secret
- Pretty ugly
- Same difference
- Small crowd
Examples of Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a rhetorical device that makes use of a term that refers to a part of something to substitute for the whole thing. 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. A less common form of synecdoche occurs when a whole is used to refer to a part.
Common Examples of Synecdoche:
- Boots on the ground—refers to soldiers.
- New wheels—refers to a new car.
- Ask for her hand—refers to asking a woman to marry.
- Suits—can refer to businesspeople.
- Plastic—can refer to credit cards.
- The White House—can refer to statements made by individuals within the United States government.
- Bread — can be used to refer to food in general or money.
- Head — can refer to counting cattle or people.
- Hired hands —can be used to refer to workers.
Examples of Allusion
An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, thing or event of historical, cultural or literary merit. It requires the audience to use their background knowledge to understand the meaning.
Examples Of Sentences Using Allusion:
- Sam is young and hungry for success.
- The smell of donuts is like kryptonite to me.
- She showed up looking like Venus.
- That was always my Achilles’ heel.
- I wish I could just click my heels and be back home.
- You’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.
- If I’m not home by curfew, I might turn into a pumpkin.
- He felt like he won a golden ticket.
- It’s like I’m pushing a boulder uphill every day.
- Getting him to decide is like pulling a sword out of a stone.