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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of literal
An art conservator who'd prefer to be immersed in detail work, Sarah is bombing as the host of a dinner party where her entrepreneur husband (Tom Riley) hopes to impress an obnoxious prospective investor (Tom Goodman-Hill) when a literal explosive goes off in her neighborhood.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But the literal definition of resilience is the ability of a system to return to its original baseline after being disturbed.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Of course, that’s the timing needed just to reach a park; actually getting to the trees requires literal legwork.
—AFAR Media, 28 Oct. 2025
This is subtle stuff, but anything more literal might feel cheesy.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Judy Berman, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But the literal definition of resilience is the ability of a system to return to its original baseline after being disturbed.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Of course, that’s the timing needed just to reach a park; actually getting to the trees requires literal legwork.
—AFAR Media, 28 Oct. 2025
This is subtle stuff, but anything more literal might feel cheesy.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literal
Adjective
-
And so our friendship was born, and grew from there over weeks and then months of talking about authorial voice, the politics of publishing, the crushing despair of our historical moment, and how long should a chapter be, anyway?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Kim explores social and historical themes including modernization, militarism, and migration through a practice encompassing sound, video, and installation art.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Headquartered in London, Longwave will focus on factual content for the global TV market across all unscripted genres – from investigative series, factual entertainment formats through to human interest stories.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
This factual omission extended as well to his professional life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But the true freshman looked poised and undaunted, able to pick up a trio of fourth-down conversions with his arm and more positive yards with his legs.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
-
His portrayal of a pompous, yapping intellectual who's rotten to the core rings uncomfortably true, as do the performances of Thatcher and East as their characters nonverbally communicate their discomfort to each other.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Hesse shot over 200 hours of documentary footage in the early 1960s, creating an archive of negatives that capture the first few chapters of a nation’s history.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The result is a gritty crime opera with something of a documentary-esque sensibility.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Recently, this sacrament has garnered nonfictional attention.—
Timothy Gabrielli,
The Conversation,
25 Aug. 2025
Video
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 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share