literal
adjective
in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical.
literalness
-
a word derived from
literal.
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.
Photography’s profoundest limitation is its mechanistic nature, which can bind it to a literalness and a brittle understanding of time.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2021
Such images are great fun to look at, though it can be argued that their literalness limits rather than extends the imagination, while mixing the metaphors of theatrical art.
From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2017
Lewandowski’s similar point about Trump’s literalness offered this implication.
From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2016
The director didn’t seem to trust his audience to take those seminal Christian events seriously unless he presented them with dogged literalness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2016
Like Charles, he had stopped believing in the literalness of the Bible.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
