literalism
[lit-er-uh-liz-uh m]
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noun
adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense, as in translation or interpretation: to interpret the law with uncompromising literalism.
a peculiarity of expression resulting from this: The work is studded with these obtuse literalisms.
exact representation or portrayal, without idealization, as in art or literature: a literalism more appropriate to journalism than to the novel.
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What is the literal meaning of “eleven?”What does the number eleven mean? And what unusual words and expressions incorporate eleven? The word derives from the Old English endleofan, which means “one left,” as in “one left over ten.” This literal sense is found in the colloquial expression “the eleventh hour,” which is used to talk about doing something at the last possible moment. For example, “In the eleventh hour, Sophie switched the caterer …
Nearby words
- literacy hour,
- literacy test,
- literae humaniores,
- literal,
- literal-minded,
- literalist,
- literality,
- literalize,
- literally,
- literary
Origin of literalism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for literalism
literalism
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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