literal

[ lit-er-uhl ]

adjective

1. 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.

2. following the words of the original very closely and exactly:

   a literal translation of Goethe.

3. true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual:

   a literal description of conditions.

   Synonyms: reliable, exact, truthful

4. being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy:

   the literal extermination of a city.

5. (of persons) tending to construe words in the strict sense or in an unimaginative way; matter-of-fact; prosaic.
6. of or relating to the letters of the alphabet.
7. of the nature of letters.
8. expressed by letters.
9. affecting a letter or letters:

   a literal error.

noun

1. a typographical error, especially involving a single letter.

literal

/ ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ; ˈlɪtərəl /

adjective

1. in exact accordance with or limited to the primary or explicit meaning of a word or text
2. word for word
3. dull, factual, or prosaic
4. consisting of, concerning, or indicated by letters
5. true; actual
6. maths containing or using coefficients and constants represented by letters: ax² + b is a literal expression Compare numerical

noun

1. Also calledliteral error a misprint or misspelling in a text

Derived Forms

• ˈliteralness, noun

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of literal¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin litterālis “of letters.” See letter ¹, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of literal¹

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

Example Sentences

Stigma, in other words, consists of the act of branding, which, in the case of enslavement, could be literal.

From Washington Post

The literal meaning of “chakra” is “wheel,” and Chandrasekar’s striking chakra paintings, each keyed to a single color, revolve around a central axis.

From Washington Post

So when you’re a 22-year-old American and all of a sudden you have an opportunity to see dead bodies in the literal flesh, every day, that’s a wonderful opportunity.

From Freakonomics

Green shoots for the economy can go hand in hand with literal green shoots.

From Ozy

From the land to the air to the sea, the terrain—both literal and psychological—these folks navigate can be tough.

From Popular-Science

I never hear a Democrat talk about these goods, which are, in the literal sense, indivisible—for us all.

From The Daily Beast

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

From The 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 Daily Beast

What they will do is bring government into the bedroom in a far more literal way than the most aggressive anti-abortion laws.

From The Daily Beast

“Air refueling and airlift assets were the literal pinch I am describing here,” the official said.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes it comes in literal sobriety, sometimes in derisive travesti, sometimes in tragic aggravation.

From Project Gutenberg

In a literal sense, too,” added Tom Brown, “for it will be sold as waste-paper and be made up into matches.

From Project Gutenberg

It would be impossible to find two figures more life-like, more literal, or painted with greater sincerity.

From Project Gutenberg

"But, in the sense I mean, may have a very literal and terrible significance," pursued Dr. Silence.

From Project Gutenberg

According to the literal meaning, it would seem that the Laird of Brodie was something less than a gentleman?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accurate
• actual
• authentic
• true
• unvarnished