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.

The duel between the agnostic Darrow and the biblical literalist William Jennings Bryan inspired the play “Inherit the Wind.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024

That choice is excellent for a laugh while also lampooning other fantasy franchises' pictures of what a hero looks like; it's also a marvelous character note for a mild-mannered literalist like Steven.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2022

The only downside is that Del Rey herself sometimes takes on the character of that thick literalist, when she starts typing in her off time.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2021

“As Justice Scalia explained, ‘the good textualist is not a literalist.’

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2020

The literalist, observing that most people talk shop, takes it for granted that they like to talk shop.

From Atlantic Classics, Second Series by Addams, Jane