Everyday · Often misused · Talking & language
Literally: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Literally adverb. In a real, exact sense, without exaggeration or metaphor.
How to say it
LIT-uh-ruh-lee/ˈlɪt(ə)rəli/
4 syllables, stressed on the first (LIT).
Literally in a sentence
The village is literally on the border: the line runs through the pub.
He took 'break a leg' literally and spent opening night in A&E.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- actually
- exactly
- really
- precisely
Opposite:
- figuratively
- metaphorically
Careful
Using it as an intensifier ('I literally died') goes back centuries and dictionaries record it, but it still irritates many readers and can backfire when you need the plain sense.
Where literally comes from
From Latin litteralis, of letters, from littera, a letter.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
He took 'break a leg' _____ and spent opening night in A&E.
- presently
- literally
- irregardless
Show the answer
literally: He took 'break a leg' literally and spent opening night in A&E.