metaphorically
adverb uk/ˌmet.əˈfɒr.ɪ.kəli/ us/ˌmet̬.əˈfɔːr.ɪ.kəl.i/
隐喻地
relating to or using metaphors (= expressions that describe a person or object by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics)
The phrase "born again" is used metaphorically to mean that someone has accepted Jesus as God and become a Christian. “重生”这个短语被用来比喻某人已经接受耶稣为上帝并成为基督徒。
By leaving school without any qualifications, she has, metaphorically speaking, shot herself in the foot (= harmed her chances of success). 她没有获得任何学历就离开了学校，用比喻的话来说，她这是“对着自己的脚开了一枪”（意为“破坏了自己成功的机会”）。
See: metaphorical
- More examples
- I don't know if he's speaking metaphorically or literally.
- The nights are darker here. I don't mean that metaphorically, I'm talking about the quality of the night.
- She tells the story of a woman who is metaphorically buried alive - by marriage, by the past.