as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
a literal account of the explorer's adventures is actually a lot less interesting than his own exaggerated stories
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Recent Examples of literal
Superman has always been an outsider — a literal alien — trying to assimilate into American culture.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
After his season 4 stint in London, Goldberg (living alongside his wife and son) always has one eye over his shoulder, paranoid that the (literal) skeletons in his closet might soon spill out.
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
One boss fight in particular should’ve been a greater challenge, but between DK and Pauline dropping literal bombs on the foe, the encounter was over in moments.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025
Farming is complex, Burnett says, because inventory (like livestock) has a literal lifecycle—it is born, grows, and dies.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
After his season 4 stint in London, Goldberg (living alongside his wife and son) always has one eye over his shoulder, paranoid that the (literal) skeletons in his closet might soon spill out.
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
One boss fight in particular should’ve been a greater challenge, but between DK and Pauline dropping literal bombs on the foe, the encounter was over in moments.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025
Farming is complex, Burnett says, because inventory (like livestock) has a literal lifecycle—it is born, grows, and dies.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literal
Adjective
-
Nearly every episode of this podcast from the Washington Post is under 10 minutes, delivering a digestible overview of an obscure or long-forgotten historical episode.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
Kartal, who was born in 2001, was wearing a boxy outfit inspired by the nineties, one of her favorite historical periods.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
But the Court of Appeals ruling said a hearing to present evidence is not always required before issuing a preliminary injunction and if there are no factual disputes.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
3 July 2025
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With 74 percent of respondents expressing uncertainty about at least one claim's veracity, the findings highlight the challenge facing voters where shared factual understanding appears increasingly fragmented.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Now, as the families prepare for next week's sentencing hearing on July 23, Patterson and Ward are hoping to give readers a true sense of the four victims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
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What's changing with Gemini on Android Currently, the official email and support pages aren't providing consistent information on Gemini's true behavior regarding this change and how to disable it.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Lauded as ‘unflinching’, the documentary discussion is a timely addition.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
-
For the first time this year, the Humanitas Prizes will include two awards in the documentary category instead of one (one to a documentary feature and another for docuseries episode), making for ten Humanitas Prizes at the Humanitas Prizes Awards Show & Toast.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
9 July 2025
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Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literal. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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