What does Literally mean?
Definitions for Literally
ˈlɪt ər ə lilit·er·al·ly
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Literally.
Princeton's WordNet
literallyadverb
in a literal sense
"literally translated"; "he said so literally"
literallyadverb
(intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration
"our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf War"
Wiktionary
literallyadverb
word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor
When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan.
literallyadverb
used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)
literallyadverb
Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.
You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Literallyadverb
Etymology: from literal.
That a man and his wife are one flesh, I can comprehend the meaning of; yet literally taken, it is a thing impossible. Jonathan Swift.
Endeavouring to turn his Nisus and Euryalus as close as I was able, I have performed that episode too literally; that giving more scope to Mezentius and Lausus, that version, which has more of the majesty of Virgil , has less of his conciseness. Dryden.
So wild and ungovernable a poet cannot be translated literally; his genius is too strong to bear a chain. Dryden.
Wikipedia
Literally
Literally is an English adverb. It has been controversially used as an intensifier for figurative statements.
ChatGPT
literally
Literally is an adverb which means in a literal manner or sense; exactly. It is used to emphasize the truth and accuracy of a statement or description, often to express surprise or to emphasize something that is really true and not metaphorical or hyperbolic.
Webster Dictionary
Literallyadverb
according to the primary and natural import of words; not figuratively; as, a man and his wife can not be literally one flesh
Literallyadverb
with close adherence to words; word by word
Suggested Resources
Literally
Literally vs. Figuratively -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Literally and Figuratively.
British National Corpus
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Literally' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2440
Adverbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Literally' in Adverbs Frequency: #291
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Literally in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Literally in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of Literally in a Sentence
I worry that, going forward, we're going to see vaccination rates decline as this becomes more of a political football, and we see people -- literally, governors running against vaccines and vaccine mandates -- in the next presidential cycle. That's going to the be deleterious to the public health, generally, if that's what comes out of this episode we're in.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat:
They are literally trying to find people alive among the dead floating in the water.
I just play it safe and that’s what makes it hard, if there’s a car coming toward me and there’s a car coming behind me, I have to get off the road. Literally, off the road and into the grass, wait for the cars to pass — and get back on.
So I finally getnominated at the Grammysand its like the coolest thing ever, and a lot of times artists will go and talk to designers, and theyll make them custom dresses to walk the red carpet. So I had my team hit out a lot of designers, and a lot of them do not want to dress me because Im too big. Literally, like, Im too big.
What we're seeing now, is that the student loan collection machine that exists in America literally can't be responsive to the law.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for Literally
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- letterlikAfrikaans
- حرفيArabic
- literalmentCatalan, Valencian
- doslovaCzech
- buchstäblich, wörtlichGerman
- laŭlitereEsperanto
- literalmenteSpanish
- kirjaimellisesti, sananmukaisestiFinnish
- texto, mot à mot, littéralementFrench
- בצורה מילולית, באופן מילוליHebrew
- सचमुचHindi
- letteralmenteItalian
- 文字通りJapanese
- bokstaveligNorwegian
- letterlijkDutch
- bokstavelegNorwegian Nynorsk
- dosłowniePolish
- literalmentePortuguese
- literalmenteRomanian
- буквально, дословноRussian
- doslovno, bukvalno, tacno takoSerbo-Croatian
- bokstavligenSwedish
- అక్షరాలాTelugu
- asıl itibariyle, harfi harfine, harfiyenTurkish
- لفظی معنیUrdu
- theo đúng nghĩa đenVietnamese
- 從字面上Chinese
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"Literally." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Literally>.
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