literal
adjective
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Definition of literal
(Entry 1 of 2)
literal
nounDefinition of literal (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from literal
Adjective
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noun
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for literal
Synonyms: Adjective
documentary, factual, hard, historical, matter-of-fact, nonfictional, objective, true
Antonyms: Adjective
fictional, fictionalized, fictitious, nondocumentary, nonfactual, nonhistorical, unhistorical
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Examples of literal in a Sentence
Adjective
I was using the word in its literal sense. The literal meaning of “know your ropes” is “to know a lot about ropes,” while figuratively it means “to know a lot about how to do something.” a literal translation of a book The story he told was basically true, even if it wasn't the literal truth.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
To call the game past halfway done at that point would be literal. — Hunter Atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Rays take see-saw battle from Astros to avoid sweep," 29 Aug. 2019 Other examples of bio-inspiration that visualize how artists and designers have utilized this approach throughout history are more literal. — Wendy Moonan, Smithsonian, "How Biology Inspires Future Technology," 27 Aug. 2019 About 80 international groups are scheduled to perform over the weekend and dozens more will give you a literal taste of their native country's cuisine. — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, "Travel the world without leaving Louisville. Here's what to know about 2019 Worldfest," 23 Aug. 2019 Janssen, who began taking testosterone in his forties and helped inspire Jackson Hearns’ trans offerings, said that the importance of voice is both literal and philosophical, embedded in protest. — Nicole Blackwood, chicagotribune.com, "Trans Chicagoans learn to construct sound from square one, for safety and artistic pursuits," 12 Aug. 2019 Deep fried politics: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio got a taste of the Iowa State Fair in the most literal sense, the Register’s Kim Norvell writes. — Seth A. Richardson, cleveland.com, "Trump promotes fracking at Pennsylvania cracker plant: The Flyover," 14 Aug. 2019 And in the case of underwater mountains called seamounts, that mark is literal. — Scientific American, "Ballistic Maggots, Synthetic Winks and Why You’re Not Goop: This Week’s Best Science GIFs," 9 Aug. 2019 Unlike his Crime Story anthology, based on real-life events, The Politician isn't designed to be so literal. — Bryn Elise Sandberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Wealth, Privilege and Gwyneth Paltrow: How Ryan Murphy's First Netflix Show Takes Down Trump-Era Entitlement," 7 Aug. 2019 For The Haunting of Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen, this is a bit more literal. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Hill House star Oliver Jackson-Cohen lands title role in The Invisible Man," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'literal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for literal
literal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of literal
See the full definition for literal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
literal
adjective
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Kids Definition of literal
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