figural

American  

[fig-yer-uhl] / ˈfɪg yər əl /

adjective

1. consisting of figures, especially human or animal figures.

   the figural representations contained in ancient wall paintings.

---

figural British  

/ ˈfɪɡərəl /

adjective

1. composed of or relating to human or animal figures

---

Other Word Forms

• figurally adverb

Etymology

Origin of figural

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin figūrālis, equivalent to Latin figūra figure + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Over half of the works Seurat produced before his death at age 31 were seascapes, and, unlike his figural canvases, were greeted enthusiastically by critics and viewers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

“The Last Shaman” shows some of his figural paintings from 1990 to 2010.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2024

"And yet here is another fact — Muslims have created and enjoyed figural representations of Muhammad throughout much of the history of Islam in some parts of the Islamic world."

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2023

Early in her career she became known for her figural works, particularly those depicting the female body, and moved over time to using nature as a springboard for her art.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022

This is not figural: Aristotle’s works spent a couple hundred years in a cellar in what’s now western Turkey before someone dug them out in the first century bc.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith