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
Now, Charlie seems to have taken that advice … a little too literally.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Washington, Virginia, is, quite literally, a small town.
—Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
But Irwin, whose birth was literally filmed in his dad's show The Crocodile Hunter, is all grown up — and ready to tackle new challenges.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Well, enter the dragon, quite literally.
—New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literally
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Washington, Virginia, is, quite literally, a small town.
—Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025
But Irwin, whose birth was literally filmed in his dad's show The Crocodile Hunter, is all grown up — and ready to tackle new challenges.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Well, enter the dragon, quite literally.
—New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literally
Adverb
-
By making advance plans, companies can save on business travel expenses for employees and more accurately budget, avoiding inflated prices for urgent bookings.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The revision of federal jobs data is part of a routine process known as benchmarking, in which surveys of businesses and state unemployment records are used to adjust previous numbers to more accurately reflect the employment landscape.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Espresso’s pricing model is tied directly to results.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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By 2019, Kirk expanded into electoral politics with Turning Point Action, a 501(c)(4) that allowed his network to directly campaign for Republicans.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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