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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of literal
The restaurant's finances have activated a (literal) ticking clock, as Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) can't keep pouring money into The Bear forever.
—
Linda Holmes, NPR, 26 June 2025
The attention has paid off in a literal sense, too.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 19 June 2025
Burks discovered an interest in medicine through literal accident.
—Kimberly Dishongh, Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Zombies confront us with death, our universal, ultimate fear, in a very literal and visceral way.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for literal
Linda Holmes, NPR, 26 June 2025
The attention has paid off in a literal sense, too.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 19 June 2025
Burks discovered an interest in medicine through literal accident.
—Kimberly Dishongh, Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Zombies confront us with death, our universal, ultimate fear, in a very literal and visceral way.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
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 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share