as in accurately
in a literal, true, or accurate way
She is not one for hyperbole—all of her warnings should be taken literally. The employees took the CEO's remarks literally and rightfully worried about the future health of the company.
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Recent Examples of literally
Pink started things literally inverted, with one of her famous aerial tricks to begin her opening number.
—
Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Exploring a city through its food gives you a taste — literally — of that place.
—Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
There is literally not one single thing that is funny about the story of Oedipus, the Sophocles classic tragedy with a shocking ending.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
After three decades of literally and figuratively stepping into Revere’s buckled shoes, Lepage plans on retiring from his day job this summer.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for literally
Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Exploring a city through its food gives you a taste — literally — of that place.
—Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
There is literally not one single thing that is funny about the story of Oedipus, the Sophocles classic tragedy with a shocking ending.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
After three decades of literally and figuratively stepping into Revere’s buckled shoes, Lepage plans on retiring from his day job this summer.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for literally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literally
Adverb
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Or, perhaps more accurately, the dream-diary of a person who knows the country but didn’t step foot anywhere near it to make his movie.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
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The most famous—or, more accurately, infamous—grace-and-favor residence was Royal Lodge.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
11 June 2026
Adverb
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In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the agency had $500 million for forest management and fire prevention that was not directly tied to cap-and-invest or the bond — up from about $65 million two decades prior.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Beijing’s support does not appear to have extended to directly arming the Naxals, however.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Video
Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literally. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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