literallit‧e‧ral /ˈlɪtərəl/ ●○○ adjective 
A trade war is not a war in the literal sense.2literal translation a translation that translates each word exactly instead of giving the general meaning in a more natural way OPP free3literal-minded not showing much imagination—literalness noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINliteral
Origin:
1300-1400 French, Medieval Latin literalis, from Latin littera; ➔ LETTER1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A trade war is not a war in the literal sense.
- But railways have also had a powerful literal effect upon religious movements around the world.
- But there we go, getting too literal again.
- Cornerville man describes the gang member and his relationships in a very literal sense.
- It's all painfully literal, and rather old-fashioned.
- She felt as though she were sinking into its blue fabric in the most literal way.
- The joining of forces of the young and old represents a literal means of reconnecting tenses.
- The resulting deep distrust provoked by social surfaces leaves Chandler unimpressed by anything as literal as an economic recovery.
Longman Language Activatoran exact description/translation/copy
completely correct because all the details are true: · The witness tried to give an accurate description of what she had seen.· accurate financial forecasts
an exact copy, model etc of something is like it in every possible way: · an exact replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist shrine· I can't remember her exact words, but this is the gist of what she said.exact likeness (=use this about a painting or drawing of someone that looks very much like that person): · It's not an exact likeness, but it's recognisable as my father.exact same spoken: · She's wearing the exact same dress I bought last week!
a literal translation gives the exact meaning of a word, or each word in a sentence, instead of translating the word or whole sentence in a natural way: · The literal meaning of the Yiddish word 'mensch' is 'person'. · It's rare to use a literal translation of a film title when it is sold abroad.
if you repeat, copy, or translate something word for word , you use the exact words that are in it: · He asked me to repeat word for word the instructions he'd just given me.· The footnote gave a word for word translation of the quotation.
a faithful copy of something is as close as possible to the original: · His model cars are faithful copies of the originals.· This is a faithful interpretation of Shakespeare's original text.· a faithful reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon village
exact and correct according to accepted rules or an accepted system: · Dates must be listed in strict chronological order.· Under a strict interpretation of the rules, she would be suspended.· In the strictest sense of the word, all popular fiction is 'romantic'.
formal repeating the exact words that were spoken or written: · The government released a verbatim transcript of the pilot's last words.· He lifted passages almost verbatim from an earlier essay he had written.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY A trade war is not a war in the literal sense.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a faithful rendering of historical events
A trade war is not a war in the literal sense.· The literal meaning of ‘telephone’ is ‘far-away sound’.
a faithful rendering of historical events (=according to the actual or physical meaning of words)· I wasn't suggesting that in a literal sense.
(=one in which each word is translated exactly)· First make a literal translation and then try and put it into idiomatic English.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Having said that, scientists are currently working on an atomic toolkit in the most literal sense.· She felt as though she were sinking into its blue fabric in the most literal way.· It's twist-and-go in its most literal sense.· No. 1 with a bullet, in the most literal sense.· It was also expressing, on the most literal level, my determination to survive.· It seems that Freemantle was uneasy about poems which even in the most literal sense made the poet look bad.· Backstage there exists a very Boys R Us attitude: espritdecorps in its most literal sense.
NOUN· But the Ahlbergs have no time for literal interpretations of their work.· He tended toward literal interpretations and preferred unambiguous answers.· These are collocational ties which in many cases defy literal interpretation, and have to be understood metaphorically.
· As Leon Brittan has pointed out, the phrase doesn't even carry the same literal meaning in every language.· As I read, it seems to me that this is not his literal meaning.· A text would entail its interpretation only if meaning was exhausted by sense, the coded or literal meanings studied by semantics.· Therefore, on the literal meaning of the words used, the applicants must fail.· Within the family it is usually the words and their literal meaning which take primary importance.· The literal meaning is not conclusive: the ordinary reader knows all about irony.
· In a literal sense, the management of the school has depended on him or her.· Ray S., who came to see me, was not a carpenter in the literal sense but a millwright.· Having said that, scientists are currently working on an atomic toolkit in the most literal sense.· No. 1 with a bullet, in the most literal sense.· It's twist-and-go in its most literal sense.· Mr Gow made it clear that he was not referring to small men in any literal sense.· It seems that Freemantle was uneasy about poems which even in the most literal sense made the poet look bad.· Backstage there exists a very Boys R Us attitude: espritdecorps in its most literal sense.
· A literal translation is given of the Arabic themes to highlight the partial loss of orientation through discontinuity of theme.· For example, a literal translation by some one not familiar with its deeper cultural meaning may result in serious mistakes.· A literal translation would be estrangement.
· It is a fundamentalist statement of belief in the literal truth of the bible.· But if the news item in the Inquirer was the literal truth, Daine was dead.· For Kane a poetic metaphor became a literal truth.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► literal-minded
1the literal meaning of a word or expression is its basic or original meaningliteral meaning/sense/interpretation etc- A literal translation is given of the Arabic themes to highlight the partial loss of orientation through discontinuity of theme.
- A literal translation would be estrangement.
- For example, a literal translation by some one not familiar with its deeper cultural meaning may result in serious mistakes.
A trade war is not a war in the literal sense.2literal translation a translation that translates each word exactly instead of giving the general meaning in a more natural way OPP free3literal-minded not showing much imagination—literalness noun [uncountable]