as in realism
realistic depiction in art and literature
if audiences ever got the literalism they claim they want in movies, they'd be fast asleep by the second reel
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Recent Examples of literalism
This literalism extends across the entire picture.
—
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
By the 1920s, the rise of religious fundamentalism and Biblical literalism among evangelical Protestant groups was reshaping America's religious landscape — setting it on a collision course with modern scientific thought.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 July 2025
But, in its literalism, the essay struggles to transcend the form.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
This isn’t the kind of puzzle thriller in which all the elements click into place with a thudding literalism that compliments an attentive eye.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literalism
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
By the 1920s, the rise of religious fundamentalism and Biblical literalism among evangelical Protestant groups was reshaping America's religious landscape — setting it on a collision course with modern scientific thought.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 July 2025
But, in its literalism, the essay struggles to transcend the form.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
This isn’t the kind of puzzle thriller in which all the elements click into place with a thudding literalism that compliments an attentive eye.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literalism
Noun
-
The realism is clean, the staging deliberate, the narrative clarity unmistakable.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That verisimilitude functioned as a solvent, lending credibility and urgency to elements of the show that might otherwise register as pure cheese; the medical realism and sentimental flourishes were mutually reinforcing.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
It’s based on the fallacy of naturalism.—
Christine Baranski,
Vogue,
5 Dec. 2025
-
To increase the naturalism of Morrow having a cybernetic arm, Painter had Ceesay wear an actual prosthetic arm over his own arm to simulate the way Morrow would move with it.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
4 Dec. 2025
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Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literalism. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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