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
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 love how her father is being portrayed as some big shot rich guy, he literally, literally digs holes where our human waste goes in, and he works by himself with two helpers with a shovel digging ditches.
The only glaring exception is if the damage is to a person’s cat. Literally under the law, if you were to hit a statue of a fake cat with your car, you would have to report that, but not the real cat, the real cat and the fake cat should at least have equal property protection.
I always want to pinch Joe Walsh and remind Joe Walsh that this isn't Russia. I do not live in Russia. I refuse to live in Russia, we can't just cancel elections in this country. That's what Donald Trump is doing. Donald Trump's literally canceling elections, and it's very easy to be p ***** off at Donald Trump, but we're used to this with Donald Trump. He is a would-be dictator. He would like this to be Russia.
We woke up in the middle of the night and saw flames, i was in my underwear. There was a car on fire blocking access out. My dog ran away ; I still haven't found her. We left with nothing, just literally with nothing. We're so lucky to be alive.
The chemicals in cigarettes work on the structures deep within a smoker's brain, literally rewiring it so the habit becomes deeply ingrained.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
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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Translation
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"Literally." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Literally>.
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