51Թ

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View synonyms for

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: , ,

  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

/ ˈlɪtərəl; ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ /

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also calledliteral error a misprint or misspelling in a text
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٱԱ, noun
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Other 51Թs From

  • İ··Ա noun
  • ԴDz·İ· adjective
  • ԴDz·İ··ly adverb
  • non·İ··Ա noun
  • v·İ· adjective
  • ܲ·İ· adjective
  • ܲ·İ··ly adverb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of literal1

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin ٳٱ “of letters.” See letter 1, -al 1
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of literal1

C14: from Late Latin ٳٱ concerning letters, from Latin littera letter
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Example Sentences

His Grand National tour with SZA must feel like a literal victory lap.

From

"If you've got world leaders who are only too happy to dismiss anything factual they don't like as 'fake news', why would you give them the ammunition of literal fake news?"

From

There are endless ways to connect with the community outside of a literal party.

From

Once the team lined up down the third-base line, Ice Cube delivered the trophy with a literal victory lap, driving a blue Chevy Bel-Air around the warning track with the Commissioner’s Trophy sitting shotgun.

From

Burning oil, gas, and coal — literal fossil fuels, made from the compressed remains of ancient plants and plankton — has released carbon into Earth’s atmosphere, where it traps heat and alters the climate.

From

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