metaphorical speech
Non-literal verbal expression
Metaphorical speech uses figurative language rather than literal description—saying someone has a heart of gold rather than she's generous, or he's drowning in work rather than he's very busy.
The term often appears in discussions of how children or people with autism process language, since understanding metaphor requires recognizing that words aren't meant literally.
- simileComparison via "as"
- turn of phraseDistinctive verbal expression
- poetryMetrical literary composition
- poetic languageArtful, evocative word choice
- metonymySubstituting associated name
allegory · abstraction · idiomatic expressions · analogy · association · prose · interpretation · hermeneutics · literary device · hyperbole · personification · symbolic imagery · fables · euphemism · parables · proverbs · narrative · drama
metaphorical speechdirect speech
Exact quoted utterance
technical language · straight talk · calling a spade a spade · precise language
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