literalism

American  

[lit-er-uh-liz-uhm] / ˈlɪt ər əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense, as in translation or interpretation.

   to interpret the law with uncompromising literalism.

2. a peculiarity of expression resulting from this.

   The work is studded with these obtuse literalisms.

3. exact representation or portrayal, without idealization, as in art or literature.

   a literalism more appropriate to journalism than to the novel.

---

literalism British  

/ ˈlɪtərəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the disposition to take words and statements in their literal sense

2. literal or realistic portrayal in art or literature

---

Other Word Forms

• literalist
  noun
• literalistic
  adjective
• literalistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of literalism

First recorded in 1635–45; literal + -ism

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

literalism

This isn’t the kind of puzzle thriller in which all the elements click into place with a thudding literalism that compliments an attentive eye.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025

Together, the films also prove that literalism isn’t always required in stories that impart messy truths about humanity.

From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

Through his studies at mosques and madrasas across the Muslim world, Ibn Tumart had developed a broader outlook than Ibn Yasin, and Ibn Tumart’s cosmopolitan approach challenged Ibn Yasin’s scriptural literalism.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Yet he passionately argued against biblical literalism and other views such as intelligent design, which professes that the natural world is too complex to have developed without the guiding hand of a supreme being.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2023

But you wouldn't know all this if you went by the sound of his name—which I did, an immigrant's failing, literalism.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez