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literal-minded

American  
[lit-er-uhl-mahyn-did] / ˈlɪt ər əlˌmaɪn dɪd /

adjective

  1. unimaginative; prosaic; matter-of-fact.


Etymology

Origin of literal-minded

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

This more-is-more approach also means that Ms. Poswa can come off as too literal-minded in several sections, repeating as she does the same idea over and over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

As Elizabeth Yuko wrote for the History Channel last year, it was the rise of Charismatic Christianity — and televangelists like Billy Graham — who helped bring the fiery and literal-minded approach to contemporary demon-busting.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023

But ultimately you will have to defer to the parent, even if you think they are being overprotective or too literal-minded.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022

So - in a literal-minded move - she walked on stage to Moving On Up, by 1990s hitmakers M People.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022

The Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution has buried records of Indian beliefs, ceremonies, mythology, and other folklore in hundreds of tomes; laborious, literal-minded scholars of other institutions have been as assiduous.

From Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest, with a Few Observations by J. Frank (James Frank) Dobie

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