literally

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Adverb 1.2.1 Quotations 1.2.2 Usage notes 1.2.3 Synonyms 1.2.4 Antonyms 1.2.5 Translations

[edit] English

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɪtəɹəli/, SAMPA: /"lIt@r@li/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Adverb

literally (not comparable)

1. word for word; not as an idiom or metaphor.

   When my sewing kit fell off the barn loft, I literally had to look for a needle in a haystack.

2. 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.

3. Without hyperbole or slang.
4. (proscribed) just
   1. (as an intensifier used with idioms and metaphors; the opposite of the preceding sense) really
      • 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...

      • 1993: Wayne W. Dyer, Real Magic, p.193

        You literally become the ball in a tennis match, you become the report that you are working on ...

   2. (British)(colloquial) (As a generic intensifier)
      • I was literally exhausted.
   3. (British)(colloquial) (As a generic downtoner)
      • You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done.

[edit] Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

[edit] Usage notes

Literally should not be used as an intensifier. It may seem like such (e.g. "I had literally no duties or responsibilities"). It should not be used in phrases that cannot be taken literally. "He was literally blown away by the news" is not a correct usage. This word does not fit slang or hyperbole, because it asserts the first and most obvious definition of a word. "The mayor is literally nuts." means that the mayor is a pile of edible seeds. Use as an intensifier is proscribed, for instance by Wynford Hicks (2004, "Quite Literally: Problem words and how to use them", page 131), who writes "Don't use it when you don't mean it, they say. 'He literally exploded with anger' is absurd."

[edit] Synonyms

• (not metaphorically): actually, exactly, precisely
• (as an intensifier): actually, totally, really

[edit] Antonyms

• (not metaphorically): metaphorically, figuratively, virtually

[edit] Translations