literal

[lit-er-uhl]

adjective

1. in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical.

   the literal meaning of a word.

2. following the words of the original very closely and exactly.

   a literal translation of Goethe.

3. true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual.

   a literal description of conditions.

   Synonyms: reliable, exact, truthful

4. being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy.

   the literal extermination of a city.

5. (of persons) tending to construe words in the strict sense or in an unimaginative way; matter-of-fact; prosaic.

6. of or relating to the letters of the alphabet.

7. of the nature of letters.

8. expressed by letters.

9. affecting a letter or letters.

   a literal error.

noun

1. a typographical error, especially involving a single letter.

literal

/ ˈlɪtərəl, ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ /

adjective

1. in exact accordance with or limited to the primary or explicit meaning of a word or text

2. word for word

3. dull, factual, or prosaic

4. consisting of, concerning, or indicated by letters

5. true; actual

6. maths containing or using coefficients and constants represented by letters: ax² + b is a literal expression Compare numerical

noun

1. Also called: literal error. a misprint or misspelling in a text

Other Word Forms

• literalness noun
• nonliteral adjective
• nonliterally adverb
• nonliteralness noun
• overliteral adjective
• unliteral adjective
• unliterally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of literal¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin litterālis “of letters.” See letter ¹, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of literal¹

C14: from Late Latin litterālis concerning letters, from Latin littera _letter

Example Sentences

The band survived a literal divorce at one point — Lenker and Meek were married for a few years until 2018 — navigating that split with a public grace that would make Fleetwood Mac’s head spin.

From Los Angeles Times

His literal cancellation is more like a test case, designed to measure the breadth and power of the accelerating authoritarian coup now underway in America.

From Salon

Sometimes he would pretend to be a baby, like a literal baby, talking like one, acting helpless, rolling around on the floor.

From Los Angeles Times

He gets straight into it on his new record, on an opening track encumbered with the blindingly literal title, "Opening".

From BBC

So it didn’t matter what was being said about us by outside voices, because inside our literal and figurative tent, we believed.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accurate 
• actual 
• authentic 
• true 
• unvarnished