3 meanings
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1 —as in:
literally--not figuratively
Definition
actually true using the basic meaning of the words (not an exaggeration, metaphor, or other type of figurative speech)- She wasn't literally advocating physical violence.
literally = using the most basic meaning of the words
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- It's dirty money—literally and figuratively.
- Bird nest soup is literally made from a bird's nest.
- The computer has no common sense. It will interpret everything you tell it literally.
- She thinks the creation story in the Bible is a literal description; while he thinks it is poetic.
- TOO WEAK TO WALK OUT, HAVE LITERALLY BECOME TRAPPED IN THE WILD.Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild
- It was she who introduced her to the library in the first place and gave her the initial, even literal, window of opportunity.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- It was so dark now we literally couldn't see ten steps ahead of us as we walked toward the woods.R.J. Palacio -- Wonder
- The Japanese literally worked men to death at Naoetsu.Laura Hillenbrand -- Unbroken
- Some are retooled as living quarters for the kids who are, both literally and figuratively, under his wing.Neal Shusterman -- Unwind
literally = using the most basic meaning of the words
literally = actually (using the basic meaning of the words—not treating them as a figure of speech)
literally = in manner that uses the basic meaning of words (without understanding metaphors, exaggerations, idioms, etc.)
literal = uses the basic meanings of words (not metaphors, allegories, symbolic use of language, etc.)
literally = actually (not an exaggeration)
literal = actual (not figurative)
literally = actually (not an exaggeration)
literally = actually (not an exaggeration)
literally = actually (not just figuratively)
2 —as in:
literally at death's door
Definition
an intensifier (to intensify what is said — especially a metaphor)- I literally feel like a prisoner in my own home.
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- I literally laughed my head off.
- She was literally at death's door.
- Literally everyone was there.
- She who is usual so alert, have done literally nothing all the day.Bram Stoker -- Dracula
- He imagined the girl reading in the shelter. He must have watched her literally handing out the words.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- Anyway, about five minutes after I got there, Henry and Savanna were standing next to me, literally hovering over me.R.J. Palacio -- Wonder
- Our caste was just three away from the bottom. We were artists. And artists and classical musicians were only three steps up from dirt. Literally.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- Still, of the literally dozens of portraits of Jesus we'd seen since 2003, Colton had still never seen one he thought was right.Todd Burpo -- Heaven Is for Real
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what follows)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what was just said)
literally = an intensifier (to intensify what is said)
3 —as in:
a literal translation
Definition
word for word- When translating English to another language, if you translate an expression like "What's up?" literally, it will completely confuse people learning the language.
literally = in a manner that is word for word
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- That app does a literal translation, so idioms like "drop by" don't make any sense when translated.
- The Great Wall (literally translated as the "long wall") is indeed long.
- The literal translation of the French vin aigre is "sour wine".
- The literal translation of lokhay warkawal is "giving of a pot." ... Lokhay means not only providing care and shelter, it means an unbreakable commitment to defend that wounded man to the death.Marcus Luttrell -- Lone Survivor
- Sang Real literally meant Royal Blood.Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code
- Thus a literal translation of the name of this beautiful sheet of water, used by the tribe that dwelt on its banks, would be "The Tail of the Lake."James Fenimore Cooper -- The Last of the Mohicans
- But you just use him to learn the literal meaning of the words; don't follow his explanations and interpretation.Malala Yousafzai -- I Am Malala
- Cesar blew the air hard out of his mouth and said, "Gallo, caballo y mujer, por la raza has de escoger."
"That better mean 'I promise to be respectful to women,' " she stated.
"Absolutely," he said, though the literal translation had something to do with comparing a woman to a horse and a rooster.W. William Winokur -- The Perfect Game - Sophia literally means wisdom in Greek.Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code
literal = word for word
literally = in a manner that is word for word
literal = word for word
literal = word for word
literally = in a manner that is word for word
literal = word for word
literal = word for word
literal = word for word
Less commonly:
Less common and more specific meanings of literal include:
in various senses, including:
- an earlier or original meaning of a word — as in "In Japanese the literal meaning of ronin was a 'samurai without a master,' but it is now used to describe a student who did not pass the entrance exam and is without a school."
- lacking imagination — as in "She has a literal mind."
- a fixed or hard-coded value in a computer program — as in "Find every instance of the literal in the source code."
- related to letters — as in "In algebra we use literal notation as when 'x' represents a value."
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