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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of literal
Yes, the Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist, Lenny (who is the man), on payroll.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
Gossip, eye rolls, politics (literal and social)—it’s all excellent fodder for the White Lotus treatment.
—Lindy Segal, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
Is a choice made with a figurative but potentially literal gun to one’s head even a real choice?
—Judy Berman, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
The importance of sound and reclaiming one’s voice in a toxic relationship takes more of a literal shape when the vacationing pair overhears a neighboring couple violently fighting in the villa below them.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
Gossip, eye rolls, politics (literal and social)—it’s all excellent fodder for the White Lotus treatment.
—Lindy Segal, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
Is a choice made with a figurative but potentially literal gun to one’s head even a real choice?
—Judy Berman, Time, 31 Mar. 2025
The importance of sound and reclaiming one’s voice in a toxic relationship takes more of a literal shape when the vacationing pair overhears a neighboring couple violently fighting in the villa below them.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literal
Adjective
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The spokesperson highlighted the two national historical parks named for Tubman.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2025
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Canada's historical crime series, which airs on Ovation TV in the U.S., is set in the early 20th century and follows the investigative work of Toronto police force detective William Murdoch (played by actor Yannick Bisson).—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the most glaring factual error is the below, which says the Houthis killed three Americans last January.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
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The information foreign agents provided to Marshall and the statements made by the senator on Thursday were factual.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Read More | Local’s theory about ancient standing stone in UK forest turns out to be true.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
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That versatility is, in a lot of ways, the true beauty of unicorns.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Lavender Men follows last fall’s release of the documentary feature Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln that examined whether the politician may have been gay, with the film being subjected to trolling by Elon Musk and conservative pundits.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Apr. 2025
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The legislation would require documentary proof of citizenship when voters register to vote.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
2 Apr. 2025
Video
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 16 Apr. 2025.
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