different between figurative vs actual

English

Etymology

From Middle French figuratif.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f?????t?v/

Adjective

figurative (comparative more figurative, superlative most figurative)

1. Of use as a metaphor, simile, or metonym, as opposed to literal; using figures; as when saying that someone who eats more than they should is a pig or like a pig.
2. Metaphorically so called.
3. With many figures of speech.
4. Emblematic, symbolic; representative, exemplative
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity.

5. (art) representing forms recognisable in life and clearly derived from real object sources, in contrast to abstract art.
   • 1875-1886, John Addington Symonds, Renaissance in Italy

     They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form.

Usage notes

• Said of language, expression, etc.

Antonyms

• literal

Derived terms

Related terms

• figure

Translations

Further reading

• figurative in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• figurative in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “figurative”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• figurative art on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fi.?y.?a.tiv/
• Homophone: figuratives

Adjective

figurative

1. feminine singular of figuratif

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

figurative

1. inflection of figurativ:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

figurative

1. feminine plural of figurativo

Anagrams

• figuratevi

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

figurative

1. definite singular/plural of figurativ

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

figurative

1. definite singular/plural of figurativ

English

Etymology

From Middle English actual, actuel (“active”), from Anglo-Norman actuel, actual, and its source Late Latin actu?lis (“active, practical”), from Latin actus (“act, action, performance”), from agere (“to do; to act”) + -alis (“-al”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?æk(t)?(?w)?l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?ak(t)?j(?)?l/
• (dated, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?aktj(?)?l/

Adjective

actual (not comparable)

1. (chiefly theology) relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical [from 14th c.]
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, First Folio 1623, V.1:

     In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actuall performances, what (at any time) haue you heard her say?

   • 1946, The American Ecclesiastical Review, vol. 114:

     Apparently, the holy Doctor was referring to actual, rather than original, sin; yet the basis of his argument for Mary's holiness, the divine maternity, would logically lead to the conclusion that she was free from original sin also.

2. Existing in reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact. [from 14th c.]

   Synonym: real

   Antonyms: potential, possible, virtual, speculative, conceivable, theoretical, nominal, hypothetical, estimated

3. (now rare) in action at the time being; now existing; current. [from 16th c.]
   • c. 1793, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs of My Life, Penguin 1990, p. 85:

     To my actual feelings it seems incredible that I could ever believe that I believed in Transubstantiation!

4. Used as intensifier to emphasise a following noun; exact, specific, very. [from 18th c.]

   Synonym: present

   Antonyms: future, past

Usage notes

• In most Romance, Slavic and Germanic languages the cognate of actual means “current”. This meaning has also been used in English since the sixteenth century but is now rare due to a semantic shift.
• The phrase in actual fact has been proscribed by some prescriptivist sources as redundant.

Synonyms

• positive

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

actual (plural actuals)

1. an actual, real one; notably:
   1. (finance) something actually received; real receipts, as distinct from estimated ones.
   2. (military) a radio callsign modifier that specifies the commanding officer of the unit or asset denoted by the remainder of the callsign and not the officer's assistant or other designee.

      Bravo Six Actual, this is Charlie One. Come in, over. (The radio operator is requesting to speak to the commander of the unit under the call sign "Bravo Six.")

See also

• certain
• genuine

References

Further reading

• actual in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• actual in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• acault

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin actu?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?k.tu?al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ak.tu?al/

Adjective

actual (masculine and feminine plural actuals)

1. present, current
2. factual

Derived terms

Related terms

• actualitat

Further reading

• “actual” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “actual” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “actual” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “actual” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

From Latin actu?lis.

Adverb

actual m or f (plural actuais)

1. current, present
2. factual, real, actual

Derived terms

Related terms

• actualidade

Further reading

• “actual” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Interlingua

Adjective

actual

1. present, current
2. factual
3. (philosophy) actual, real

Related terms

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman actuel and Late Latin ?ctu?lis; equivalent to act +? -al.

Alternative forms

• actuale, actualle, actuelle

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aktiu??a?l/, /?aktiu?al/, /aktiu????l/, /?aktiu??l/

Adjective

actual

1. actual, real, true
2. (philosophy, theology) active

Derived terms

• actualy

Descendants

• English: actual
• Scots: actual

References

• “act???l, -??l, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• actuau (Gascon)

Etymology

From Latin actu?lis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

actual m (feminine singular actuala, masculine plural actuals, feminine plural actualas)

1. current

Derived terms

• actualament

Related terms

• actualitat

Portuguese

Adjective

actual m or f (plural actuais, comparable)

1. Superseded spelling of atual.

Romanian

Etymology

From French actuel, from Latin actualis.

Adjective

actual m or n (feminine singular actual?, masculine plural actuali, feminine and neuter plural actuale)

1. present-day

Declension

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ak(t)w?l/

Adjective

actual (comparative mair actual, superlative maist actual)

1. actual

References

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin actu?lis. Cognate with English actual although a false friend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a??twal/, [a???t?wal]
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

actual (plural actuales)

1. present, current
2. factual
3. (philosophy) actual, real
4. present-day

Usage notes

• Actual is a false friend, and does not mean the same as the English word actual. Spanish equivalents are shown above, in the "Translations" section of the English entry actual.

Derived terms

Related terms

• actualidad

Prepositional phrase

actual m (plural actuales)

1. (preceded by del) Of the current month, year, etc.

   Synonyms: corriente, presente

See also

• Appendix:False friends between English and Spanish

Further reading

• “actual” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Anagrams

• culata