- pronunciation:
- lI
t
r
li
- features:
- Language Note
| part of speech: |
adverb |
| definition 1: |
word for word.
She translated the poem from Japanese to English literally.
|
| definition 2: |
in fact; really.
The farmer literally worked from morning until night. |
| related words: |
actually |
Literally means "in fact, exactly, or really."
Figuratively means the opposite. When you speak figuratively, you compare a real situation with a made-up, usually exaggerated situation. Sometimes people say "literally" when they mean "figuratively," as in "It was so hot, I was literally melting from the heat." Literally, that's not a pretty picture. If you're not sure which one of these words to use, be safe and don't use either. "I stopped dead in my tracks" is better than "I literally stopped dead in my tracks."