literally
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈlɪtəɹəli/, SAMPA: /"lIt@r@li/
- Audio (US)help, file
[edit] Adverb
literally (not comparable)
|
Positive |
Superlative |
- (speech act) Word for word; not as an idiom or metaphor.
- When he said Houston weather is warm and you never need a long sleeve shirt, I literally threw all my long sleeve shirts away!
- Simply; with reference to the first meaning of a word.
- Ants got into my computer and literally scrambled my data: Bugs were in my hardware.
- (Can we verify(+) this sense?) (modal) Without hyperbole or slang.
- (degree) Used as an intensifier; really, very
- 1827: Sir Walter Scott, Chronicles of the Canongate
- The house was literally electrified; and it was only from witnessing the effects of her genius that he could guess to what a pitch theatrical excellence could be carried.
- 1894: Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- ...at a time when Europe was ringing with his name and when his room was literally ankle-deep with congratulatory telegrams...
- 1827: Sir Walter Scott, Chronicles of the Canongate
- Figuratively.
- 1993, Wayne W. Dyer, Real Magic, page 193:
- You literally become the ball in a tennis match, you become the report that you are working on […]
- 1993, Wayne W. Dyer, Real Magic, page 193:
- (British, colloquial) Used as a generic downtoner.
- You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done.
[edit] Usage notes
Because of its varying meanings, literally can cause confusion. For example "you literally become the ball" could mean transforming into a spherical object, while the most common sense interpretation would be that literally is an intensifier in this usage.
[edit] Quotations
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Antonyms
- (not metaphorically): metaphorically, figuratively, virtually
[edit] Translations
not metaphorically
|
|