unmetaphorical

1 8.7

Using plain words that mean exactly what they say

adjective
/ˌʌnˌmɛtəˈfɔrɪkəl/

: literal

The teacher emphasized that her instructions were entirely unmetaphorical to avoid any confusion.

Examples

He appreciated the news article for its unmetaphorical language, as it provided clear and direct information.
Even such an unmetaphorical-sounding word as the verb "to be" was generated from a metaphor.

Academic text (1998)
In her speech, she used unmetaphorical expressions to ensure that her message was straightforward and easily understood.

Synonyms

nonmetaphorical

vsunmetaphorical

7.0

Using words that mean exactly what they say

is literal in meaning and expression rather than figurative

nonsymbolic

vsunmetaphorical

7.3

A way of showing things that does not use signs and shows real objects directly

is literal and focuses on exact meaning not on representing ideas

unsymbolic

vsunmetaphorical

8.4

Does not give a hidden meaning and only shows what is seen

is literal in sense while that one lacks wider representational use

Antonyms

metaphorical

34 6.6

Language that describes one thing by comparing it to another, not its real meaning

figurative

9 6.4

Using words in a non-literal way to create images

How Literal

unmetaphorical

1 8.7

plain

264 1.0

figurative

9 6.4

Surface Forms

unmetaphorical positive

Morphology

unmetaphorical = metaphorical (transparent) = un + metaphor + ical

Formed by clear negation of 'metaphorical' (which itself is 'metaphor' + '-ical'), so the relation is directly derivable.

Etymology

Unmetaphorical starts with un- ('not') and has metaphor ('a word picture' or 'saying one thing is another'), so it means 'not using word pictures'. That's why something unmetaphorical is plain and 'literal'.