Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb In a literal manner; word for word.
- adverb In a literal or strict sense.
- adverb Really; actually.
- adverb Used as an intensive before a figurative expression.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In a literal manner or sense; according to the strict import of the word or words; exactly: as, the city was literally destroyed; the narrative is literally true.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb According to the primary and natural import of words; not figuratively.
- adverb With close adherence to words; word by word.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb speech act
word for word ; notfiguratively ; not as anidiom ormetaphor - adverb degree, proscribed used non-literally as an
intensifier for figurative statements:virtually (often considered incorrect; see usage notes) - adverb UK, colloquial Used as a generic
downtoner :just ,merely .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb in a literal sense
- adverb (intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The title literally translates as "Lord of Light".
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The original French title literally translates as "Howling Metal."
Retro-View: Heavy Metal #v8#03 (June 1984) Chuck Wells 2010
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The original French title literally translates as "Howling Metal."
Archive 2010-03-01 Chuck Wells 2010
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I think the name literally translates as 'big antlers' thanks to Gaelic Dictionaries Online.
It's The Stag's Antlers Laban 2004
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Simone, whose subtitle literally translates as "Why the West is not leaning to the Left".
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Pepe Escobar 2010
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You know … my Father named me 'nina' which in Italian literally translates as 'little girl'
lazy geisha 2009
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The Peruvian-Spanish-Chilean co-production, whose title literally translates as "The Frightened Tit" - an allusion to an indigenous belief that mothers pass their fear on to their children through their breast milk - won the Golden Bear for best picture in Berlin in February.
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The Peruvian-Spanish-Chilean co-production, whose title literally translates as "The Frightened Tit" - an allusion to an indigenous belief that mothers pass their fear on to their children through their breast milk - won the Golden Bear for best picture in Berlin in February.
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The title literally translates into "Bush's estate is bankrupt across the board," but it can also be translated as "Bush's legacy is bankrupt across the board," as it is at
The Moderate Voice 2009
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The title literally translates into "Bush's estate is bankrupt across the board," but it can also be translated as "Bush's legacy is bankrupt across the board," as it is at
The Moderate Voice 2009
tomsteele commented on the word literally
No, you did not literally fly out of bed this morning.
December 24, 2006
rawles commented on the word literally
I support the founding of a coalition to bring the much-neglected but much-needed word "figuratively" back into proper use.
May 23, 2007
seanahan commented on the word literally
When you use literally to mean figuratively, you are speaking hyperbolically.
May 24, 2007
uselessness commented on the word literally
I dunno, seems like the whole point of the word literally is to make it clear that you're not using hyperbole. At least, that was its original purpose. I think, if you have to outright TELL someone you're exaggerating, maybe you should practice your exaggeration a little more. It should be obvious without the label.
May 24, 2007
alguien commented on the word literally
http://literally.barelyfitz.com/
May 24, 2007
cathari commented on the word literally
I think people might actually mean "practically", though I have no insight as to how this mix-up could have happened.
October 31, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word literally
I once heard a noted religious leader talk about people "literally kicking themselves out of the Church". Now that would be something to see!
December 4, 2007
oroboros commented on the word literally
Actually v. figuratively.
May 24, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word literally
I rise in opposition to the tag "auto-antonym" being applied to this word. Good sirs and madams, I ask you: can we in good conscience allow "literally" to mean "figuratively"?
Certainly the general public uses the word this way. And under most circumstances, I am all for following the general usage. In this case, though, I say that we must put up a fight. A fight, I tell you!
If "literally" no longer means "literally", then what shall we use in its place? And even if suitable substitutes can be found, why should we allow ourselves to lose a perfectly good word in the first place?
Fight the trend, good people. Refuse to define "literally" as "figuratively"! Posterity will thank you.
May 24, 2008
john commented on the word literally
“‘That guy I used to know, he’s gone,’ Mr. Biden said of Mr. McCain at the campaign event in Maumee, shaking his head. ‘It literally saddens me,’ added Mr. Biden, who tends to used the word ‘literally’ about a dozen times per speech (literally).�?
The New York Times, Meanwhile, the Other No. 2 Keeps On Punching, by Mark Leibovich, September 19, 2008
September 20, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word literally
Cf. literal.
June 24, 2009
blafferty commented on the word literally
People using this word when they don't actually mean it makes me literally throw up. Bahaha.
April 27, 2011
milosrdenstvi commented on the word literally
"There was a sad and melancholy cadence in her voice, corresponding with the strange and interesting romance of her situation. So young, so beautiful, so untaught, so much abandoned to herself, and deprived of all the support which her sex derives from the countenance and protection of female friends, and even of that degree of defence which arises from the forms with which the sex are approached in civilised life,—it is scarce metaphorical to say, that my heart bled for her."
Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy. Victorian "literally"!
July 10, 2011
erinmckean commented on the word literally
So many comments about this one lately ... Stand Down, Semantics Nerds
August 15, 2013
bilby commented on the word literally
It's one of those words I now mentally edit out, reading glasses set to 'ignore' and all.
August 16, 2013
ry commented on the word literally
much like the Telegraph columnist, what I find most tiresome is criticism of this word's alleged misuse. It's such a low-hanging fruit, so easy to spot. But come on it happens all the time—let's also ticket everyone for not making complete stops at stop signs!
August 16, 2013
ruzuzu commented on the word literally
I like that all of the examples above mention translation. I've been reading one of Plato's dialogues this week, and the translator's introduction talked about having to find a balance between translating things literally and allowing for modern phrasing (etc.).
August 16, 2013
dhuber commented on the word literally
This is literally the most misused word in the universe.
August 28, 2013
alexz commented on the word literally
"For my own part I felt myself so overwhelmed by the stroke that my heart literally died within me"
c. 1790 http://bit.ly/152deMC
You'll literally have to build a time machine, go back 220 years...
August 28, 2013
Travler commented on the word literally
Word usage is overtime. The creative evolution of language communication is almost always a beautiful art form. However, the word "literally" is being used more and more in the sense of "figuratively" or "metaphorically", which are antonyms of literally.
The great value of "literally" happens when describing something fantastic that actually happened. When the word has been diluted to mean its opposite, how will we be able to tell our audience that the bizarre thing we're describing actually happened?
Misuse of "literally" is my pet peeve, even as I know I'm powerless to stop it.
January 7, 2017
alexz commented on the word literally
Is listed as being one of the circles of he'll for linguistic transgressions. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/dantes-nine-circles-of-hell-reimagined-for-linguistic-transgressions
January 27, 2018