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literal

lit·er·al

literal

 
 
pronunciation:
lI t rl
features:
Word Combinations (adjective), Word Parts
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: in accordance with the ordinary, exact, or primary meaning of a word or words; not figurative or metaphorical.
If someone is starving in the literal sense, that person is actually dying from lack of food and not simply very hungry.His literal understanding of things made it difficult for him to see the humor in many jokes.
antonyms:
figurative
similar words:
concrete, exact, explicit
definition 2: exactly following the words of the original.
a literal translation
synonyms:
direct, strict, verbatim, word-for-word
similar words:
close, concrete, exact, faithful, precise
definition 3: concerned chiefly with matters of fact; unimaginative; prosaic.
a literal-minded individual
synonyms:
matter-of-fact, prosaic, prosy, unimaginative, uninteresting
similar words:
boring, down-to-earth, dull, mundane, serious, tedious, vapid
definition 4: true to fact; unexaggerated or unembellished.
a literal description of the accident
synonyms:
actual, factual, plain, realistic, unvarnished
similar words:
simple
definition 5: relating to or expressed with letters.
synonyms:
lettered
similar words:
typographical, verbal
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivation: literalness (n.)
Word PartsSubscriber feature About this feature