literal

1 of 3

adjective

lit·​er·​al ˈli-t(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: according with the letter of the scriptures

adheres to a literal reading of the passage

b

: adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or primary meaning of a term or expression : actual

Liberty in the literal sense is impossible …

—Benjamin N. Cardozo

c

: free from exaggeration or embellishment

the literal truth

d

: characterized by a concern mainly with facts

an extremely literal person

2

: of, relating to, or expressed in letters

The distress signal SOS has no literal meaning.

3

: reproduced word for word : exact, verbatim

a literal translation

literality

ˌli-tə-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

literalness

ˈli-t(ə-)rəl-nəs 

noun

literal

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a small error usually of a single letter (as in writing)

literality

3 of 3

noun (2)

lit·​er·​al·​i·​ty ˌlitəˈralətē 

ˌlitə-, 

-ətē, 

-i

plural -es

: literalness

Synonyms of literal

Adjective

• historical
• factual
• true
• documentary
• nonfictional

Examples of literal in a Sentence

Adjective

I was using the word in its literal sense.

The literal meaning of “know your ropes” is “to know a lot about ropes,” while figuratively it means “to know a lot about how to do something.”

a literal translation of a book

The story he told was basically true, even if it wasn't the literal truth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The scene is a Pyrrhic victory, however, because its self-transcending metaphorical power only emphasizes the blandly literal hour and a half that came before. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 June 2026

By the end of the debate, about 150 men dressed in Indigenous costumes, their faces smeared with soot, stormed to a nearby wharf and dumped a literal boatload of tea into the water. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Noun

But make no mistake, this show about them navigating New York is very different from the literal In the City — by about 15 years. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 25 June 2026

Then there is zeugma, when a verb takes two objects, one literal and one figurative. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun (1)

Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin litteralis, from Latin, of a letter, from littera letter

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1622, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1643, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing literal

• literal-minded

Rhymes for literal

• littoral
• sublittoral

Video

Literally

A word that (literally) drives people nuts

Kids Definition

literal

adjective

lit·​er·​al

ˈlit-ə-rəl, 

ˈli-trəl

1

a

: following the ordinary or usual meaning of the words

literal and figurative meanings

b

: true to fact : plain, unadorned

took the television drama to be the literal truth

c

: concerned mainly with facts

a literal-minded person

2

: of, relating to, or expressed in letters

literal equations

3

: done word for word : exact, verbatim

a literal translation

literalness noun