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
Mom has watched games here for literal generations — her father, brother and then youngest son on the field — but tonight is a unique experience.
—
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
There is a lot of connected tissue with the first film, and some of it is literal.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 3 June 2025
Which is to say nothing of the literal value of developing homegrown careers — tens of millions of euros potentially.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 May 2025
When compounded by phone tag, these gaps risk worsening conditions — making strategic communication a literal lifeline.
—John Samuels, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2025
There is a lot of connected tissue with the first film, and some of it is literal.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 3 June 2025
Which is to say nothing of the literal value of developing homegrown careers — tens of millions of euros potentially.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 May 2025
When compounded by phone tag, these gaps risk worsening conditions — making strategic communication a literal lifeline.
—John Samuels, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literal
Adjective
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Our assessment is grounded in a thorough analysis of Caterpillar’s existing valuation relative to its recent operational performance and historical financial state.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Peekaboo Animation, Fabrique Fantastique Targeted at kids 4–8 years old, this educational and adventurous comedy series introduces kids to famous figures like Mandela and Mozart in their childhood, blending humor and historical insight.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Remember when Google demoed its Bard AI tool in 2023 and its factual error led to its parent company losing US$100 billion in market value?—
Greg Edwards,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
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Puig agreed to waive any legal protections for suppression or exclusion of new information in the factual basis.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The film also stars Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson and Spencer Watson. Co-written by Greengrass and Brad Inglesby, The Lost Bus is inspired by true events featured in Lizzie Johnson’s 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 June 2025
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Gödel showed that any system of axioms in mathematics permits the formulation of statements that can’t be shown to be true or false.—
Philip Ball,
Wired News,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Tufano explains how documentary filmmakers increasingly are moving to a territory-by-territory approach to sell their features in the absence of acquisitions for worldwide distribution.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
27 May 2025
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Published 76 years ago, the novel is the core of Raoul Peck’s documentary portrait of the writer.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
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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 13 Jun. 2025.
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