literalism
noun
adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense, as in translation or interpretation.
literalistic
-
a word derived from
literalism.
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.
But before the change, when umpires had precedent for allowing the neighborhood play, suppose an upright rookie umpire decided to apply the rules with literalistic rigidity and disregard for the traditions of his fellow umpires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
While Polley’s film — co-written with Toews — doesn’t always ascend to similar heights, once the viewer accepts its mannered style and bluntly literalistic vernacular, it builds to a kind of unadorned grandeur.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2023
At minimum, it’s suffocatingly literalistic to argue that Tolkien’s themes can’t survive casting a Black actress as a dwarf princess.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2022
That the literalistic critiques of historians and witnesses can co-exist — fractiously, but ultimately usefully — with the kind of inspiration, beauty and transformative power that the very best cinema such as “Selma” can provide.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2015
As Martin J. S. Rudwick puts it, "No geologist of any nationality whose work was taken seriously by other geologists advocated a timescale confined within the limits of a literalistic exegesis of Genesis."
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
