Meaning & use
full-figure
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nouneuphemistic
Having a large, rounded body shape, especially a woman with generous curves.
Grammar: Used before a noun: full-figure model, full-figure clothing. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- full-figure model
- full-figure clothing
- full-figure woman
The store opened a new department for full-figure clothing.
She works as a full-figure model in New York.
This brand designs jeans for full-figure women.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Showing the whole body rather than only the head and shoulders.
Grammar: Comes before a noun such as portrait or shot, describing how much of the body is shown.
Patterns
- full-figure portrait
- full-figure shot
- full-figure painting
The gallery hung a full-figure portrait of the queen.
The photographer asked for a full-figure shot against the white wall.
His early sketches were full-figure studies of dancers.
Word forms
| comparative | more full-figure |
|---|---|
| superlative | most full-figure |
Common combinations
- full-figure model
- She became the first full-figure model on that magazine cover.
- full-figure clothing
- The shop sells full-figure clothing in sizes 16 to 26.
- full-figure woman
- The advertisement showed a cheerful full-figure woman in a swimsuit.
- full-figure portrait
- A full-figure portrait takes up much more canvas than a head study.
- full-figure shot
- The director wanted a full-figure shot so the costume would be visible.
Synonyms and how they differ
- curvy
- More informal and often complimentary; it stresses attractive curves rather than size.
- plus-size
- Common in fashion and shopping, and used for clothing and models rather than for the body itself.
- ample
- A more literary word for a large body; it can sound old-fashioned or slightly critical.
Opposites
Word family
- full-figured adjective
- The more common form in American English, meaning the same as full-figure.
- figure noun
- The shape of a person's body, especially a woman's.
Commonly confused: full-figure or full-figured? full-figure or full-size?
full-figure vs full-figured
This is the usual American spelling and is used after the verb be as well as before a noun; full-figure is mostly a British-style attributive form.
full-figure vs full-size
Full-size means the normal, standard size of a product, not a body shape.
Practice
Which sentence uses full-figure correctly?
Choose one answer.
Full-figure is an adjective used before a noun such as section, model, or clothing, so option 1 fits. Option 0 wrongly uses it after the verb be, where full-figured is the usual form, and options 2 and 3 treat it as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “full-figure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.