Figurative Language Examples: Guide to 9 Common Types

If you tell someone “You look like a million bucks,” you’re not saying that they look like a stack of cash. You’re using figurative language to say that they look really good. 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 is non-literal wording that adds creativity or rhetorical meaning to your writing. It invites the reader to use their senses or prior knowledge to understand your meaning.

• This coffee shop is an icebox!
• She's drowning in a sea of grief.
• She's as happy as a clam.
• I move fast like a cheetah on the Serengeti.
• The sea lashed out in anger at the ships, unwilling to tolerate another battle.
• The sky misses the sun at night.
• I've told you a million times to clean your room!
• Her head was spinning from all the new information.
• She was living her life in chains.
• When she saw the dove soar high above her home, she knew the worst was over.

None of these phrases are literal, but you still understand what they mean. They use your senses or experiences to make a point rather than directly explaining what they mean.

Why Use Figurative Language?

Depending on which figurative language you use, you can create different images or arguments for your reader. It’s all about choosing the correct wording for what you want to say.

• You look like a million bucks. (You look wonderful.)
• You look like an angel. (You look beautiful.)
• You look like something the cat dragged in. (You look terrible.)
• You look like you’ve seen a ghost. (You look terrified.)
• You look like death warmed up. (You look sick.)
• You look like a spring morning. (You look refreshed and healthy.)
• You look like an old mop. (You’re not attractive.)

Examples of Figurative Language: The 9 Types

Any time you’re using language that shouldn’t be taken literally, you’re using figurative language. You can group most examples of figurative language into nine different types.