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.

"Three ICE agents were literally hiding, waiting for me," he explains.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

I found some off-market stuff, and they were just thrilled, and it was, you know, literally just a lease.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

Life hack: If they’re too full, we’ll literally go a couple blocks west and hit Kabosu, which is their sister restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Four street thieves are on the road to hell, literally, in an action-adventure movie debuting at the Cannes Film Festival Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Regan had literally tackled that guy, but still.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Vocabulary lists containing literally

Ghost

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Kindred

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Booked

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