Literal and figurative language is a distinction that exists in all natural languages; it is studied within certain areas of language analysis, in particular stylistics, rhetoric, and semantics.

• Literal language uses words exactly according to their direct, straightforward, or conventionally accepted meanings or denotation.
• Figurative language uses words in a way that deviates from their conventionally accepted definitions in order to convey a more complex meaning or a heightened effect. It is often created by presenting words in such a way that they are equated, compared, or associated with normally unrelated meanings. A common intended effect of figurative language is to elicit responses that are emotional, aesthetic, or intellectual.