as in accurately
in a literal, true, or accurate way
She is not one for hyperbole—all of her warnings should be taken literally. The employees took the CEO's remarks literally and rightfully worried about the future health of the company.
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Recent Examples of literally
This is all literally in real time.
—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025
If Disney couldn’t coax Daft Punk out of retirement, then Nine Inch Nails is quite literally the next best option.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Richardson sorts out all of that, and sharpens the literary angles, but the triumph of True Nature is his understanding of Matthiessen as a man literally running wild over a very long and complicated life, a man of myriad contradictions and, tellingly, a serial philanderer.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
But still, Qatar is quite literally the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literally
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025
If Disney couldn’t coax Daft Punk out of retirement, then Nine Inch Nails is quite literally the next best option.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Richardson sorts out all of that, and sharpens the literary angles, but the triumph of True Nature is his understanding of Matthiessen as a man literally running wild over a very long and complicated life, a man of myriad contradictions and, tellingly, a serial philanderer.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
But still, Qatar is quite literally the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literally
Adverb
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These efforts demonstrated that such an approach could work, but not everyone in the field was sure that an algorithm could accurately adjust insulin delivery based on glucose levels, says Boris Kovatchev, an engineer and director of the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology.—
Carrie Arnold,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
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In Nome, there are two balloons being launched per day, but communications issues flared up in the few days prior to the storm, preventing weather data from being accurately and completely transmitted back to the NWS, Thoman said.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Oct. 2025
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In 2022, He was promoted directly to vice-chair of the military commission, skipping the usual step of serving on the 205-member Central Committee.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Video
Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literally. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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