literal
adjective
in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical.
nonliteral
-
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.
Also, the inventive, nonliteral staging by director Zack Winokur, choreographer Pam Tanowitz, co-set designers Mimi Lien and Jack Forman and lighting designer John Torres is astonishing to look at but not always intelligible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
When the photos of Parker and Corbett first landed last month, many fans brushed them off, figuring Aidan probably shows up in a dream sequence, flashback or other nonliteral context.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
The pared-down, nonliteral effects produce great laughs but also great emotion, as when B and G sleep standing up, merely repositioning their arms and twisting their torsos to show us how they are turning.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021
They began to be used in nonliteral ways, and so became not just words that shocked and offended but words with which people could swear.
From Salon ● May 11, 2013
A metaphor suggests comparison of the phenomenon with another by the nonliteral application of a word.
From Humanistic Nursing by Josephine G. Paterson
