literally

Meanings

Adverb

• in a literal sense
  • "literally translated"
  • "he said so literally"
• (intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration
  • "our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf War"

Adv

• Word for word, exactly as stated.
• Without overstatement or understatement, or false or misleading words.
• Word for word, exactly as stated.
• With phrasings that might normally be used or understood as figurative: truly; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor.
• Word for word, exactly as stated.
• Draws attention to a pun or other wordplay involving an idiom.
• As an intensifier.
• Used as a general intensifier or dramatiser, sometimes tending towards a meaningless filler.
• As an intensifier.
• 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.
• Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.

Synonyms

actually, all things considered, as a matter of fact, but, by right, come to think of it, fact is, forsooth, frankly, honestly, in actuality, in fact, in faith, in point of fact, in reality, in truth, indeed, just, literally, merely, no more than, nothing but, only, properly, really, right As in whose properly was the lost wallet?, simply, soothfast, soothly, to tell the truth, truly, truthfully, unfiguratively, unmetaphorically, verily, wis

Antonyms

figuratively, idiomatically, metaphorically, virtually