literal

American  

[lit-er-uhl] / ˈlɪt ər əl /

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.

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noun

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

literal British  

/ 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

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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

Etymology

Origin of literal

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

Explanation

To describe something as literal is to say that it is exactly what it seems to be. For example, if you put up a literal barrier to keep the world out, you've actually built a real wall. The background of literal includes the Latin litterālis, meaning "of letters or writing." This led to the sense of exactness, suggesting something is "to the letter." Many people misuse this word, as in "Listening to that dull teacher put me in a literal coma." Possible, but highly doubtful.

Example Sentences

Then there were the toilets: Literal, singing ones for hydration brand Liquid IV’s Super Bowl debut, urging viewers to check what color their urine was.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

And so I think that what happens with cinema is that there’s so many cooks in the kitchen that everything becomes very Land of the Literal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

Literal copying is the easiest form of infringement to punish.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023

Literal participation trophies or medals are indeed dumb.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2019

“Good evening, Hazel Grace. Do you suppose you could find your way to the Literal Heart of Jesus around eight P.M.?”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Related Words

• accurate
• actual
• authentic
• true
• unvarnished