literal

[ lit-er-uhl ]

/ ˈlɪt ər əl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR literal ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of literal

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

SYNONYMS FOR literal

3 truthful, exact, reliable.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR literal ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

lit·er·al·ness, noun non·lit·er·al, adjective non·lit·er·al·ly, adverb non·lit·er·al·ness, noun

o·ver·lit·er·al, adjective un·lit·er·al, adjective un·lit·er·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

literal littoral

Words nearby literal

liter, literacy, literacy hour, literacy test, literae humaniores, literal, literal-minded, literalism, literality, literalize, literally

Example sentences from the Web for literal

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
So is the literal “turkey point of view” offered by the GoPros attached to the turkeys as they run around the coop.

A Turkey's View of Thanksgiving |The Daily Beast Video |November 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“The amount of literal brainwork needed to do his job too such a toll on him that it sent him to an early grave,” Goode says.

From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive |Kevin Fallon |November 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Air refueling and airlift assets were the literal pinch I am describing here,” the official said.

First U.S. Stealth Jet Attack on Syria Cost More Than Indian Mission to Mars |Dave Majumdar |September 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Then the director, Penny Marshall, encouraged him to drop some of the literal behavior and put more of himself into the character.

The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure |Joe Morgenstern |August 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A "Permanent World's Fair" may be a phrase distressing to the literal mind.

The Art Of The Moving Picture |Vachel Lindsay
They allow no liberty of thought; they believe in literal inspiration.

Boer Politics |Yves Guyot
The literal fulfilment of that awful portent was but an incident in the annihilation of the city less than forty years later.

Jesus the Christ |James Edward Talmage
It was a literal crucifixion, without the erection of the cross.

The Life and Times of Col. Daniel Boone, Hunter, Soldier, and Pioneer |Edward Sylvester Ellis
It will be observed that the Greek is given, and under each Greek word an English equivalent, "as literal as may be to be useful."

Defense of the Faith and the Saints (Volume 1 of 2) |B. H. Roberts

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 expression Compare 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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

literal

adjective

noun

Origin of literal

SYNONYMS FOR literal

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

Words nearby literal

Example sentences from the Web for literal

British Dictionary definitions for literal

adjective

noun

Derived forms of literal

Word Origin for literal

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

literal

adjective

noun

Origin of literal

SYNONYMS FOR literal

OTHER WORDS FROM literal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH literal

Words nearby literal

Words related to literal

Example sentences from the Web for literal

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for literal

adjective

noun

Derived forms of literal

Word Origin for literal

British Dictionary definitions for literal