The role of images in the process of understanding metaphors is considered in the article, since a figurative reaction is the fastest way to decipher and understand a metaphor. Metaphors are considered not only as a means of giving a statement special expressiveness and as a mechanism for generating meanings of varying levels of complexity. It has been shown that the most figurative words are those denoting objects, artifacts, objects found in nature, zoomorphisms, i.e. specific vocabulary denoting realities that are closest to human practical activity. The article discusses metaphor and the mechanisms of its functioning, as well as how we perceive and understand metaphorical expressions. It is proposed to consider metaphor as a mechanism that allows combining ideas about heterogeneous objects while necessarily preserving the semantic duality and images of the original and resulting meanings. The so-called “hackneyed” metaphors were examined for the purpose of preserving their imagery. A classification of metaphors was presented based on the level of image involvement and on research on crystallized and flexible types of intelligence. As a result, it was demonstrated how objects of a high degree of abstraction are understood and meaningfully defined by means of lexical invariants. It has been proven on specific material that metaphorical imagery does not disappear in the process of secondary nomination. The invariant approach to understanding the commonality of metaphorical meanings in the structure of a word is based on the similarity of metaphorical images.