literally

Definition of literallynext
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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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 literally But in addition to that property, there are six acres of core forest, which literally stuck out like a thumb within the preserve. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026 So despite literally hundreds of hours of Star Wars TV shows existing, the 11 films generated an outsized share of viewing. James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 4 May 2026 George Wickens is a goalkeeper on the up, quite literally, with Lincoln City, who will be one league away from the Premier League next season after their promotion to the English second tier following 65 years away. Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026 This is literally amounting to people losing property without due process, as an example. Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for literally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literally
Adverb
  • Gravity is notoriously difficult to measure accurately for three reasons, said Christian Rothleitner, a physicist at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany’s National Metrology Institute, who was not involved in the research.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2026
  • The council recommends shifting some flood insurance policies to private insurance companies, and moving faster to map flood risk accurately across the country, so that fewer homes are in harm's way.
    Lauren Sommer, NPR, 7 May 2026
Adverb
  • Jupiter Jupiter, as darkness falls, will be roughly one-third up from the western horizon to the point directly overhead.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026
  • The temptation now is delivered directly through gambling apps and websites.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Literally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literally. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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