literal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Dunlap broadside was a broadside in a figurative sense as well as a literal one, blasting its message like cannons fired from the side of a warship.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
It’s weird to be alive at a time when much of contemporary warfare comprises literal laser beams, flying robots and dungeons full of nerds at computer terminals, but that’s really what’s happening.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
“I wanted to paint a hazy portrait of the Midwest but not in such a literal way,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
It’s weird to be alive at a time when much of contemporary warfare comprises literal laser beams, flying robots and dungeons full of nerds at computer terminals, but that’s really what’s happening.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
My grandfather was literal minded, not a man who traded in metaphor or suggestion.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
Vocabulary lists containing literal
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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AP English Lit exam terms
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Vocabulary to Describe Literary Devices
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