The literal sense of a word or phrase is its most basic sense.
In many cases, the people there are fighting, in a literal sense, for their homes.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A literal translation is one in which you translate each word of the original work rather than giving the meaning of each expression or sentence using words that sound natural.
A literal translation of the name Tapies is 'walls.'
3. adjective
You use literal to describe someone who uses or understands words in a plain and simple way.
Dennis is a very literal person.
Synonyms: unimaginative, boring, dull, down-to-earth More Synonyms of literal
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe something as the literal truth or a literal fact, you are emphasizing that it is true.
[emphasis]
He was saying no more than the literal truth.
Synonyms: actual, real, true, simple More Synonyms of literal
More Synonyms of literal
literal in British English
(ˈlɪtərəl)
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. mathematics
containing or using coefficients and constants represented by letters: ax2 + b is a literal expression
Compare numerical (sense 3a)
noun
7. Also called: literal error
a misprint or misspelling in a text
Derived forms
literalness (ˈliteralness) or literality (ˌlɪtəˈrælɪtɪ)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Late Latin litterālis concerning letters, from Latin litteraletter
literal in American English
(ˈlɪtərəl)
adjective
1.
of, involving, or expressed by a letter or letters of the alphabet
literal notation
2.
following or representing the exact words of the original; word-for-word
a literal translation
3.
a.
based on the actual words in their ordinary meaning; not figurative or symbolic
the literal meaning of a passage
b.
giving the actual denotation of the word
said of the senses of words
c.
giving the original or earlier meaning of a word; etymological
the literal meaning of ponder is “to weigh”
4.
a.
habitually interpreting statements or words according to their actual denotation; prosaic; matter-of-fact
a literal mind
b.
having a literal mind; lacking imagination
5.
real; not going beyond the actual facts; accurate; unvarnished
the literal truth
6.
being so in fact but not in name; virtual
the chairperson is a literal dictator
noun
7. Chiefly British
a typographical error
Derived forms
literalness (ˈliteralness)
noun
Word origin
ME litterall < MFr litteral < LL litteralis < L littera, letter1
Examples of 'literal' in a sentence
literal
Underlying these figurative images were literal beliefs.
Jack Turner SPICE: The History of a Temptation (2004)
That phrase carried rather more than its literal meaning.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This capacity to engage audiences in such a literal way offers a uniquely powerful tool.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She was not referring to it as a criminal matter and not in its literal sense.
The Sun (2016)
Music cannot tell a story in the same literal way.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In all but a literal sense they were already paying for them with their lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It reads as if it is a literal translation from a foreign language.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
For decades this was a provincial city in both the literal and derogatory senses of the term.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Best to stick to its literal sense of not guilty.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Perhaps these pragmatic effects do not strictly affect literal sentence meaning, then.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
For me, that has a very literal meaning.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
One tended to see it cited mostly as a straw man, a cardinal example of an overly literal approach to literary theory.
Kimball, Roger Tenured Radicals: How Politics Has Corrupted Higher Education (1990)
His new building links old and new in a literal way, via two new floors at the top that use predominantly glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
So I determined to do all my financial transactions in the most doggedly literal and straightforward way possible.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Let's say you know a passage can't be applied in literal terms today.
Christianity Today (2000)
It ends, in the most literal way, his dictatorship.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
literal
British English: literal ADJECTIVE
The literal sense of a word or phrase is its most basic sense.
In many cases, the people there are fighting, in a literal sense, for their homes.
American English: literal
Brazilian Portuguese: literal
Chinese: 字面上的
European Spanish: literal
French: littéral
German: wörtlich
Italian: letterale
Japanese: 文字どおりの
Korean: 글자 그대로의
European Portuguese: literal
Latin American Spanish: literal
Chinese translation of 'literal'
literal
(ˈlɪtərəl)
adj
[sense, meaning]字面的 (zìmiàn de)
[translation]直译(譯)的 (zhíyì de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
word for word
a literal translation
Synonyms
exact
I can't remember the exact words he used.
close
The poem is a close translation from the original Latin.
strict
the strictest sense of the word
accurate
a more accurate description of the terrain
faithful
His screenplay is faithful to the novel.
verbatim
He gave me a verbatim report of the entire conversation.
word for word
2 (adjective)
Definition
dull or unimaginative
He is a very literal person.
Synonyms
unimaginative
Her second husband was a steady, unimaginative corporate lawyer.
boring
dull
They can both be rather dull.
down-to-earth
matter-of-fact
He gave her the news in a matter-of-fact way.
factual
Any comparison that is not strictly factual runs the risk of being interpreted as subjective.
prosaic
the aimless monotony of our prosaic everyday life
colourless
uninspired
The script was singularly uninspired.
prosy
His autobiography is a prosy piece of work, full of pedantry.
3 (adjective)
Definition
true
He was saying no more than the literal truth.
Synonyms
actual
They are using local actors or the actual people involved.
real
No, it wasn't a dream. It was real.
true
I allowed myself to acknowledge my true feelings.
simple
The simple truth is that experts haven't a clue.
plain
a plain grey stone house, distinguished by its unspoilt simplicity
Her dress was plain, but it hung well on her.
genuine
They are convinced the painting is genuine.
gospel
bona fide
We are happy to donate to bona fide charitable causes.
unvarnished
The full unvarnished truth about the Duke should be made public.
unexaggerated
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accurate
a more accurate description of the terrain
Synonyms
precise,
right,
close,
nice,
regular,
correct,
careful,
strict,
proper,
exact,
faithful,
explicit,
authentic,
spot-on,
just,
clear-cut,
meticulous,
truthful,
faultless,
scrupulous,
unerring,
veracious
in the sense of bona fide
Definition
undertaken in good faith
We are happy to donate to bona fide charitable causes.
Synonyms
genuine,
real,
true,
legal,
actual,
legitimate,
authentic,
honest,
veritable,
lawful,
on the level (informal),
kosher (informal),
dinkum (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
the real McCoy
in the sense of close
Definition
careful, strict, or searching
The poem is a close translation from the original Latin.
Synonyms
accurate,
strict,
exact,
precise,
faithful,
literal,
conscientious
Synonyms of 'literal'
literal
Explore 'literal' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dull
Definition
not interesting
They can both be rather dull.
Synonyms
boring,
tedious,
dreary,
flat,
dry,
plain,
commonplace,
tiresome,
monotonous,
prosaic,
run-of-the-mill,
humdrum,
unimaginative,
dozy,
uninteresting,
mind-numbing,
ho-hum (informal),
vapid,
as dry as dust
in the sense of factual
Definition
concerning facts rather than opinions or theories
Any comparison that is not strictly factual runs the risk of being interpreted as subjective.
Synonyms
true,
objective,
authentic,
unbiased,
close,
real,
sure,
correct,
genuine,
accurate,
exact,
precise,
faithful,
credible,
matter-of-fact,
literal,
veritable,
circumstantial,
unadorned,
dinkum (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
true-to-life
in the sense of faithful
Definition
accurate in detail
His screenplay is faithful to the novel.
Synonyms
accurate,
just,
close,
true,
strict,
exact,
precise
in the sense of genuine
Definition
real and exactly what it appears to be
They are convinced the painting is genuine.
Synonyms
authentic,
real,
original,
actual,
sound,
true,
pure,
sterling,
valid,
legitimate,
honest,
veritable,
bona fide,
dinkum (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
pukka,
the real McCoy
in the sense of matter-of-fact
Definition
unimaginative or emotionless
He gave her the news in a matter-of-fact way.
Synonyms
unsentimental,
flat,
dry,
plain,
dull,
sober,
down-to-earth,
mundane,
lifeless,
prosaic,
deadpan,
unimaginative,
unvarnished,
emotionless,
unembellished
in the sense of plain
Definition
without adornment
a plain grey stone house, distinguished by its unspoilt simplicityHer dress was plain, but it hung well on her.
Synonyms
unadorned,
simple,
basic,
severe,
pure,
bare,
modest,
stark,
restrained,
muted,
discreet,
austere,
spartan,
unfussy,
unvarnished,
unembellished,
unornamented,
unpatterned,
bare-bones
in the sense of prosaic
Definition
lacking imagination
the aimless monotony of our prosaic everyday life
Synonyms
dull,
ordinary,
boring,
routine,
flat,
dry,
everyday,
tame,
pedestrian,
commonplace,
mundane,
matter-of-fact,
stale,
banal,
uninspiring,
humdrum,
trite,
unimaginative,
hackneyed,
workaday,
vapid
in the sense of prosy
Definition
dull and long-winded
His autobiography is a prosy piece of work, full of pedantry.
Synonyms
dull,
long,
flat,
boring,
prosing,
pedestrian,
commonplace,
tedious,
stale,
tiresome,
monotonous,
prosaic,
humdrum,
unimaginative,
uninteresting,
long-winded,
wordy,
long-drawn-out,
overlong
in the sense of real
Definition
actual
No, it wasn't a dream. It was real.
Synonyms
true,
actual,
genuine,
concrete,
sincere,
tangible,
honest,
factual,
existent,
palpable,
dinkum (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
unimagined,
unfeigned
in the sense of simple
Definition
sincere or frank
The simple truth is that experts haven't a clue.
Synonyms
honest,
direct,
basic,
frank,
plain,
naked,
stark,
sincere,
bald,
undeniable,
unvarnished
Additional synonyms
in the sense of strict
Definition
(of a meaning) exact
the strictest sense of the word
Synonyms
exact,
accurate,
precise,
close,
true,
particular,
religious,
faithful,
meticulous,
scrupulous
in the sense of true
Definition
real or genuine
I allowed myself to acknowledge my true feelings.
Synonyms
actual,
real,
natural,
pure,
genuine,
proper,
authentic,
dinkum (Australian, New Zealand, informal),
dinky-di (Australian, New Zealand, informal)
in the sense of uninspired
Definition
not particularly good or exciting
The script was singularly uninspired.
Synonyms
unexciting,
banal,
unimaginative,
stock,
ordinary,
dull,
indifferent,
commonplace,
vanilla (informal),
stale,
prosaic,
uninspiring,
humdrum,
uninteresting,
unoriginal
in the sense of unvarnished
Definition
not elaborated upon
The full unvarnished truth about the Duke should be made public.
Synonyms
plain,
frank,
honest,
candid,
simple,
pure,
bare,
naked,
straightforward,
stark,
sincere,
pure and simple,
unadorned,
unembellished
in the sense of verbatim
Definition
using exactly the same words
He gave me a verbatim report of the entire conversation.