as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
a literal account of the explorer's adventures is actually a lot less interesting than his own exaggerated stories
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Recent Examples of literal
But other bolt-holes stand out for giving the beds themselves extra attention, distinguishing them in some particularly charming or even surreal way (see beds carved out of literal ice).
—
Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
Academics in particular knew the impact of his anti-college diatribes, demonizing of university professors, and literal targeting of them with Professor Watchlist.
—Karen J. Leader, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Dowies went from observing the time change with her kids to living in a literal paradise that keeps the same time all year round.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The split was messy and ugly, with figurative and literal shots fired, some of which left bullet holes in Sermon’s house while Redman still lived there.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literal
Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
Academics in particular knew the impact of his anti-college diatribes, demonizing of university professors, and literal targeting of them with Professor Watchlist.
—Karen J. Leader, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Dowies went from observing the time change with her kids to living in a literal paradise that keeps the same time all year round.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
The split was messy and ugly, with figurative and literal shots fired, some of which left bullet holes in Sermon’s house while Redman still lived there.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literal
Adjective
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Add in Paul Mescal's solid turn as an absent Bard dad who deals with the loss in his own way, plus a cathartic final act, and director Chloé Zhao's gut-wrenching historical drama has a good chance of placing high on a lot of Oscar voters' lists.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
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The owner of the hoard remains a mystery According to historical records, 24 households were situated on the block where the coins were left.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Whether this internal awareness constitutes the kind of corporate knowledge that supports liability is a central factual question for the jury to decide.—
Carolina Rossini,
The Conversation,
6 Mar. 2026
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Overall, responses were 18% less likely to contain factual mistakes.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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To make money talks less tense, prioritize choices that reflect your true worth.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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That has certainly been true of artificial intelligence.—
Rebecca Winthrop,
Washington Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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During an excavation of the site, as mandated by the California Environment Quality Act, SFPUC hired a documentary team to capture the findings of Muwekma Ohlone artifacts over two years.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Anyone whose citizenship could not be verified would be required to submit documentary proof.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Significant experiment The effort is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a nonfictional experiment with detectors that will be immersed in huge baths of cryogenic liquid argon, which is going the opposite direction — down.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
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But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
13 Jan. 2026
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Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literal. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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