Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [lit-er-uh l]
- /ˈlɪt ər əl/
- /ˈlɪt.ər.əl/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [lit-er-uh l]
- /ˈlɪt ər əl/
Definitions of literal word
- adjective literal 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. 1
- adjective literal following the words of the original very closely and exactly: a literal translation of Goethe. 1
- adjective literal true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual: a literal description of conditions. 1
- adjective literal being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy: the literal extermination of a city. 1
- adjective literal (of persons) tending to construe words in the strict sense or in an unimaginative way; matter-of-fact; prosaic. 1
- adjective literal of or relating to the letters of the alphabet. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of literal
First appearance:
before 1350 One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English < Late Latin litterālis “of letters.” See letter1, -al1
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Literal
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
literal popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
literal usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for literal
adj literal
- accurate — careful and exact
- actual — You use actual to emphasize that you are referring to something real or genuine.
- unvarnished — plain; clear; straightforward; without vagueness or subterfuge; frank: the unvarnished truth.
- authentic — An authentic person, object, or emotion is genuine.
- natural — existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial): a natural bridge.
noun literal
- misprint — a mistake in printing, as an instance of printing a letter or word other than that intended.
adjective literal
- factual — of or relating to facts; concerning facts: factual accuracy.
- truthful — telling the truth, especially habitually: a truthful person.
- honest — honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair: an honest person.
- exact — Not approximated in any way; precise.
- unembellished — to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn.
Antonyms for literal
adj literal
- counterfeit — Counterfeit money, goods, or documents are not genuine, but have been made to look exactly like genuine ones in order to deceive people.
- unreal — not real or actual.
- dishonest — not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief: a dishonest person.
- falsified — to make false or incorrect, especially so as to deceive: to falsify income-tax reports.
- abnormal — Someone or something that is abnormal is unusual, especially in a way that is worrying.
adjective literal
- embellished — Simple past tense and past participle of embellish.
- extraordinary — Very unusual or remarkable.
- exaggerated — That has been described as greater than it actually is; abnormally increased or enlarged.
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with l
- Words starting with li
- Words starting with lit
- Words starting with lite
- Words starting with liter
- Words starting with litera
- Words starting with literal