figurado

Figurado is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese to refer to language that employs figures of speech. In rhetoric and literary analysis, something described as figurado uses figurative language, as opposed to words understood in their literal sense. The term derives from figura, Latin for form or figure, and serves to distinguish figurative meaning from the literal meaning of words.

Figurado encompasses a broad range of devices, collectively known as figuras de lenguaje or figuras retóricas. Typical examples include metaphor (comparing two unlike things), metonymy (substituting one term for another connected thing), simile (an explicit comparison, often with como), personification (giving human attributes to nonhuman things), and hyperbole (intentional exaggeration). Idioms, proverbs, and rhetorical tropes also fall under figurado when their meaning cannot be understood from the individual words alone.

In analysis, distinguishing figurado from literal language helps interpret meaning, tone, and imagery. The use of figurado is common across Spanish- and Portuguese-language texts, from poetry to journalism, and varies in degree from subtle to overt. Some grammars separate figural expressions into categories such as figura de pensamiento (figures of thought) and figura de linguagem (figures of speech).