literal

[ lit-er-uhl ]

/ ˈlɪt ər əl /

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adjective

in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical: the literal meaning of a word.

following the words of the original very closely and exactly: a literal translation of Goethe.

true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual: a literal description of conditions.

being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy: the literal extermination of a city.

(of persons) tending to construe words in the strict sense or in an unimaginative way; matter-of-fact; prosaic.

of or relating to the letters of the alphabet.

of the nature of letters.

expressed by letters.

affecting a letter or letters: a literal error.

noun

a typographical error, especially involving a single letter.

OTHER WORDS FOR literal

3 truthful, exact, reliable.

See synonyms for literal on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of literal

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin litterālis “of letters.” See letter¹, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

lit·er·al·ness, nounnon·lit·er·al, adjectivenon·lit·er·al·ly, adverbnon·lit·er·al·ness, noun

o·ver·lit·er·al, adjectiveun·lit·er·al, adjectiveun·lit·er·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

literal , littoral

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use literal in a sentence

There was a lot of positive feedback from people interested in non-gender binary people.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She ultimately ditched JSwipe after about a week and found her current, non-Jewish, boyfriend on OkCupid.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An atheist counsels his fellow non-believers on how not to talk to people of faith.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism|Steve Neumann|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The distinction between over-policing and non-responsiveness was alive and well in Bed-Stuy.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I never hear a Democrat talk about these goods, which are, in the literal sense, indivisible—for us all.
The Democrats’ Black Hole—and What They Can Do About It|Michael Tomasky|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes it comes in literal sobriety, sometimes in derisive travesti, sometimes in tragic aggravation.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The expatriated ex-rebels became alarmed by the non-receipt of the indemnity instalment and the news from their homes.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He also states that the Audiencia is virtually non-existent, and so there is no high court in which justice may be sought.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
De moi, je ne say qu'en dire, d'autant que je ne veux affirmer ny le si ny le non en ce dont je n'ay vidence.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
Certes le capitaine Merveilles et ses gens monstrerent leur pit non vulgaire.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for literal

literal

/ (ˈlɪtərəl) /

adjective

in exact accordance with or limited to the primary or explicit meaning of a word or text

word for word

dull, factual, or prosaic

consisting of, concerning, or indicated by letters

true; actual

maths containing or using coefficients and constants represented by letters: ax² + b is a literal expressionCompare numerical (def. 3a)

noun

Also called: literal error a misprint or misspelling in a text

Derived forms of literal

literalness or literality (ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for literal

C14: from Late Latin litterālis concerning letters, from Latin littera letter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

literal

OTHER WORDS FOR literal

Origin of literal

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

Words related to literal

How to use literal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for literal

Derived forms of literal

Word Origin for literal