1. not literal; figurative or metaphorical rather than exact or word-for-word

Examples

• The poem’s nonliteral language created vivid imagery through metaphors.
• Students struggled to understand the nonliteral meaning of the idiom.
• Her nonliteral interpretation of the text revealed deeper themes.
• The artist’s nonliteral representation of nature was highly abstract.
• Teachers explained that nonliteral expressions shouldn’t be taken at face value.
• The nonliteral use of color in the painting conveyed different emotions.