Common Types of Figurative Language and Their Meanings

Common Types of Figurative Language

Figurative language allows speakers and writers to communicate meanings that differ in various ways from what they literally say. People speak figuratively for reasons of politeness, to avoid responsibility for the import of what is communicated, to express ideas that are difficult to communicate using literal language, and to express thoughts in a compact and vivid manner.

Figurative means that words are used in a way that is different from the usual meaning. That way, the description is more interesting or impressive. Figurative language creates a picture in your mind.

For example: "He is about to explode!"

We do not mean to say that the man will actually explode. We only want to say that he is extremely angry. So, we use the verb "explode" in a figurative way. In other words, we use a word that usually describes something else. That way, the description is more interesting and creates a certain picture in the mind.

Metaphor and Simile

Ideas from dissimilar knowledge domains are either explicitly compared, in the case of simile (e.g., “my love is like a red, red rose”), or implicitly compared (e.g., “Our marriage is a roller-coaster ride”). In the latter example, the roller-coaster ride is a domain which is mapped onto the domain of marriage.

Metonymy

A salient part of a single knowledge domain is used to represent or stand for the entire domain (e.g., “the White House issued a statement”). We use part of our knowledge about the political system in the US to know that is where the President lives. Another example is a waiter asking for someone's bill: “The ham sandwich is waiting for the bill.”

Idioms

A speaker’s meaning cannot be derived from an analysis of the words’ typical meanings (e.g., “John let the cat out of the bag about Mary’s divorce”). Some idioms can be altered while others cannot.

Proverbs

Speakers express widely held moral beliefs or social norms (e.g., “the early bird captures the worm”).

Irony

A speaker’s meaning is usually, but not always, the opposite of what is said (e.g., “what lovely weather we’re having” stated in the midst of a rainstorm). It is not strictly figurative speech, but some authors claim it is.

Hyperbole

A speaker exaggerates the reality of some situation (e.g., “I have ten thousand papers to grade by the morning”).

Understatement

A speaker says less than is actually the case (e.g., “John seems a bit tipsy” when John is clearly very drunk).

Oxymoron

Two contradictory ideas or concepts are fused together (e.g., “when parting is such a sweet sorrow” or “the bittersweet taste of love”).

Indirect Requests

Some authors include these in the figurative speech list. Speakers make requests of others in indirect ways by asking questions (e.g., “can you pass the salt?”) or stating a simple fact (e.g., “it seems cold in here,” meaning “go close the window”).