nonfigurative

adjective

non·​fig·​u·​ra·​tive ˌnän-ˈfi-gyə-rə-tiv How to pronounce nonfigurative (audio)
-ˈfi-gə-

Examples of nonfigurative in a Sentence

the gallery owner is resigned to the fact that nonfigurative works generally do not appeal to tourists
Recent Examples on the Web Lee Ungno has great facility with ink, for example, but executing the densely interwoven vines of a wisteria, frequently a symbol of longevity, to resemble a thoroughly nonfigurative Jackson Pollock drip-painting seems dismissive in a perhaps unintentionally jokey way. Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022 Abstraction or nonfigurative art was held, if not in some disdain, at least as something less pressing. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 Back then, Pop Art—of which Oldenburg’s work was a kind of rough version—was puzzling, if not a bit scandalous to an art world that had, only recently, barely gotten used to the nonfigurative paint pyrotechnics of Abstract Expressionism. Peter Plagens, WSJ, 22 July 2022 Largely inspired by Taeuber’s tours de force of design, experiments in nonfigurative art took hold in the Dada circle. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2021 Two nonfigurative pieces manage to appear simultaneously fractured and exalted. Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2021 Although the caves contain a mix of figurative and nonfigurative images, the researchers focused their efforts on the latter variety. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonfigurative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonfigurative was in 1934

Dictionary Entries Near nonfigurative

Cite this Entry

“Nonfigurative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonfigurative. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nonfigurative

adjective
non·​fig·​u·​ra·​tive -ˈfig-(y)ə-rət-iv How to pronounce nonfigurative (audio)
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