Meanings of nonliteral in English

A metaphor suggests comparison of the phenomenon with another by the nonliteral application of a word.

It makes sense that Nader could not function inside a romantic relationship, as those are always nonliteral relationships.

They admit there is some nonliteral language in the Bible-whenIsaiah says the "trees clapped," it's obviously a metaphor.

It is like trying to allegorize a symbol, trying to reduce to one literal, verbal meaning something that has many nonliteral, nonverbal meanings.