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   Lit·er·al

   /ˈlidərəl/

   

   adjective

   • 1. taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory: "dreadful in its literal sense, full of dread"
   • ▪ free from exaggeration or distortion: "you shouldn't take this as a literal record of events" Similar strictfactualplainsimplebareexactstraightforwardstarkunvarnishedunexaggeratedunembellishedundistortedunadulteratedobjectivenarrowcorrecttruetruthfulfaithfulaccurategenuineauthenticveritableveraciousgospelOpposite metaphoricalfigurativelooseapproximate
   • ▪ absolute (used to emphasize that a strong expression is deliberately chosen to convey one's feelings): informal "fifteen years of literal hell"
   • 2. (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text: "a literal translation from the Spanish" Similar word-for-wordverbatimline-for-lineletter-for-letterexactprecisefaithfulclosestrictto the letterundeviatingtrueaccuraterare:literatimOpposite looseliberalvague
   • ▪ (of a visual representation) exactly copied; realistic as opposed to abstract or impressionistic.
   • 3. (of a person or performance) lacking imagination; prosaic: "his interpretation was rather too literal" Similar literal-mindeddown-to-earthfactualmatter-of-factno-nonsenseunsentimentallevelheadedhardheadedprosaicunimaginativecolorlesspedestriantediousboringdullhumdrumuninspireduninspiringprosyOpposite whimsical
   • 4. of, in, or expressed by a letter or the letters of the alphabet: "literal mnemonics"

   noun

   • 1. a misprint of a letter. British

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French, or from late Latin litteralis, from Latin littera (see letter).

   Derivatives

   • 1. literality noun
   • 2. literalness noun

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • L

     1

   • I

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • L

     1

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