Definitions

literally

[lit-er-uh-lee] / ˈlɪt ər ə li /

ADVERB

word for word; exactly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

actually completely directly plainly precisely really simply truly

WEAK

correctly direct faithfully indisputably letter by letter literatim not figuratively rightly rigorously sic straight strictly to the letter undeviatingly undisputably unerringly unmistakably verbatim veritably

Antonyms

STRONGEST

doubtfully

WEAK

figuratively loosely

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.

As they say, a coach must wear many different hats, and Fernandez is literally doing just that.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

"Therefore, the only resort is to go to a foodbank because there literally is nothing left in the bank account."

From BBC • May 14, 2026

"It's not that we literally had a simulation running for 15 years," Simmons said.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

“There were a lot of happy people because the trees were literally hitting their cars,” Sicheneder said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

You’re not going to marry Violet figuratively—you’re going to marry her literally!

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Vocabulary lists containing literally

Ghost

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Kindred

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Booked

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