literally

English Online Dictionary. What means literally‎? What does literally mean?

English

Alternative forms

• lit. (abbreviation)
• litterally (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English litteraly; equivalent to literal +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪtəɹəli/, /ˈlɪtɹəli/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪtəɹəli/, /ˈlɪtɹəli/

Adverb

literally (comparative more literally, superlative most literally)

2. Word for word, exactly as stated.
   1. Without overstatement or understatement, or false or misleading words.

   2. With phrasings that might normally be used or understood as figurative: truly; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor.

      Synonyms: actually, really, unfiguratively, unmetaphorically; see also Thesaurus:actually

      Antonyms: figuratively, idiomatically, metaphorically, virtually

      Hyponym: overliterally

      Coordinate term: etymonically
4. As an intensifier.
   1. (colloquial) Used as a general intensifier or dramatiser, sometimes tending towards a meaningless filler.
   2. (sometimes proscribed) Used as an intensifier with statements or terms that are in fact meant figuratively and not word for word as stated: virtually, so to speak.
5. (colloquial) Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.

   Synonyms: merely; see also Thesaurus:merely

Usage notes

• Many speakers and writers object to the use of literally as an intensifier (sense 2), wanting the word to be reserved to its strict sense (sense 1), whereas many other speakers and writers do not abide by this prescription. In fact, the use of literally as an intensifier in both spoken and formal written English predates the complaints around its use in that way by several centuries. Nevertheless, it is worth knowing that if one's own speech or writing is intended to persuade or impress (for example, in formal contexts), using this word loosely tends to be counterproductive to those goals.

Translations