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A lot of the lyrics I write involve images that just swing the song in a way that feels really good to me and there isn't a literal explanation. They're not riddles for the listener to solve.
Matt Berninger

Meaning of "literal" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LITERAL

From Late Latin litterālis concerning letters, from Latin litteraletter.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF LITERAL

literal  [ˈlɪtərəl] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LITERAL

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Literal can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES LITERAL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Literal

Literal may refer to: ▪ Literal and figurative language, taken in a non-figurative sense ▪ Literal translation, the close adherence to the forms of a source language text ▪ Literal legal interpretations also referred to as Strict constructionism and the literal or plain meaning rule ▪ Terminal symbol in regular expressions and in descriptions of formal grammars ▪ Literal, an elementary proposition or its negation in logical expressions ▪ Literal, a notation for representing a value within programming language source code ▪ Literal, a quarterly bilingual magazine ▪ A typographical error, normally to one letter or number ▪ A chunk of input data that is represented "as is" in data compressed using data compression...

Definition of literal in the English dictionary

The first definition of literal in the dictionary is in exact accordance with or limited to the primary or explicit meaning of a word or text. Other definition of literal is word for word. Literal is also dull, factual, or prosaic.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH LITERAL


bilateral
baɪˈlætərəl
biliteral
ˌbaɪˈlɪtərəl
circumlittoral
ˌsɜːkəmˈlɪtərəl
clitoral
ˈklɪtərəl
collateral
kɒˈlætərəl
doctoral
ˈdɒktərəl
electoral
ɪˈlɛktərəl
lateral
ˈlætərəl
littoral
ˈlɪtərəl
midlittoral
ˌmɪdˈlɪtərəl
nonliteral
ˌnɒnˈlɪtərəl
overliteral
ˌəʊvəˈlɪtərəl
pastoral
ˈpɑːstərəl
pluriliteral
ˌplʊrɪˈlɪtərəl
presbyteral
prɛzˈbɪtərəl
quadriliteral
ˌkwɒdrɪˈlɪtərəl
sublittoral
sʌbˈlɪtərəl
triliteral
traɪˈlɪtərəl
unilateral
ˌjuːnɪˈlætərəl
uniliteral
ˌjuːnɪˈlɪtərəl

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE LITERAL

literacy campaign
literacy hour
literacy project
literacy test
literae humaniores
literal error
literal-minded
literal-mindedness
literalisation
literaliser
literalism
literalist
literalistic
literalistically
literality
literalization
literalize
literalizer
literally
literalness

WORDS THAT END LIKE LITERAL

chapteral
coleopteral
contralateral
dipteral
dorsolateral
enteral
equilateral
federal
hemipteral
ipsilateral
monopteral
multilateral
parenteral
peripteral
posterolateral
quadrilateral
septilateral
sphincteral
trilateral
ureteral
ventrolateral

Synonyms and antonyms of literal in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «LITERAL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «literal» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of literal

Translation of «literal» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF LITERAL

Find out the translation of literal to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of literal from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «literal» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

字面上的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

literal
570 millions of speakers

English

literal
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

शाब्दिक
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الحرفي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

буквальное
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

literal
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

আক্ষরিক
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

littéral
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Literal
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

wörtlich
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

文字どおりの
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

글자 그대로의
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tegese
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

đen
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

எழுத்தியல்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

शब्दशः
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kelimesi kelimesine
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

letterale
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

dosłowny
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

буквальне
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

literal
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κυριολεκτική
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

letterlike
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

bokstavlig
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

bokstave
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of literal

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «LITERAL»

The term «literal» is very widely used and occupies the 17.868 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
92
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «literal» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of literal
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «literal».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «LITERAL» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «literal» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «literal» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about literal

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «LITERAL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word literal.
1
J. J. Abrams
When you work on something that combines both the spectacular and the relatable, the hyperreal and the real, it suddenly can become supernatural. The hypothetical and the theoretical can become literal.
2
Elizabeth Banks
Most men I know rely on women to do all the literal dirty work.
3
Matthew Barney
I have a need to make these sorts of connections literal sometimes, and a vehicle often helps to do that. I have a relationship to car culture. It isn't really about loving cars. It's sort of about needing them.
4
Jacques Barzun
Varese, Apollinaire, Ezra Pound, Leger, Gleizes, Severini, Villon, Duchamp, Duchamp-Villon, Marie Laurencin, Cocteau and many others were to me household names in the literal sense - names of familiar figures around the house.
5
Justine Bateman
I think the most attractive people are the confident ones, regardless of their literal appearance, so I strive for that. Basically, I think you'll always be the size your body needs to be if you only eat if you are hungry. If you never eat for any other reason, you'll be just the right size for your body.
6
Madison Smartt Bell
I had a house in Haiti, in the hills above the North Atlantic coast. The house appeared as if out of a dream: my dream to have a foothold in the country. Like many concepts do in Haiti, the phrase 'pied a terre' became literal, material.
7
Matt Berninger
A lot of the lyrics I write involve images that just swing the song in a way that feels really good to me and there isn't a literal explanation. They're not riddles for the listener to solve.
8
Joseph Bologna
The stage is suspension of disbelief. Film is a literal medium.
9
Theresa Breslin
In order to deliver the emotional truth in the story, you have to include some of the literal truth.
10
Bo Burnham
I don't try to call myself a poet. But I know that my stuff is pretty literal, in that the themes are pretty simple and on the surface.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LITERAL»

Discover the use of literal in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to literal and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Literal Meaning
This is a provocative contribution to the current debate about the best delimitation of semantics and pragmatics.
François Recanati, 2004
2
Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third ...
"Analytical" also refers to aids included within the text which enable the reader to "analyze" and understand the text. ALT3 is based on the most up-to-date and accurate Greek Text, the Byzantine Majority Text: Second Edition.
Gary F. Zeolla, 2007
3
Kj3 Literal Translation New Testament
This is what the King James Version was meant to be, an exact word-for-word translation of the Hebrew and Greek texts.
‎2006
4
The 144,000 Literal Or Symbolic?: A Comparative Analysis
In the final analysis, a clear picture emerges, and the veil of uncertainty is lifted. Students of prophecy and the End-time will be delighted with this literary work. This book is a must have for your library.
Terrence A. Harrison, 2010
5
Holy Bible - Kj3 Literal Translation
Green presents the fourth edition of the translation that appears in the side margins of his bestselling work, "The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible."
‎2010
6
The Qur'an: A Pure and Literal Translation
The Qur'an is unique in the fact that it uses neither footnotes nor comments letting the text speak for itself and delivering to the reader as close a rendition of the pure message of the Qur'an as physically possible.
Monotheist Group, 2008
7
A new and literal translation of Juvenal and Persius: with ...
PREFACE. AULUS PERSIUS FLACCUS was born at Volaterrae, in Etruria (now Tuscany), about the twentieth year of the emperor Tiberius, that is to say, about two years after the death of Christ. Flaccus, his father, was a Roman knight, whom ...
Juvenal, Martin Madan, Persius, 1829
8
DO METAPHORS DREAM OF LITERAL SLEEP?
Chu argues that science fiction’s dual status as both narrative and lyric art form permits the representation of objects that are otherwise difficult or impossible to describe-- e.g., those that are neither purely literal nor purely ...
Seo-Young Chu, 2011
9
Nothing Less Than Literal: Architecture After Minimalism
How minimalist art was infiltrated by architecture in the 1960s: a history of the exchanges of formalist concepts and techniques that resulted in a reconfiguration of two disciplines.
Mark Linder, 2007
10
Literal Figures: Puritan Allegory and the Reformation Crisis ...
Literal Figures is the most important work on John Bunyan to appear in many years, and a significant contribution to the history and theory of representation.
Thomas H. Luxon, 1995

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LITERAL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term literal is used in the context of the following news items.
1
The Supreme Court adopts a literal approach to the construction of a …
The leading judgement given by Lord Neuberger of the Supreme Court in this case followed the literal rather than the purposive approach. «Lexology, Jul 15»
2
Nippon's postwar contribution / ODA builds literal, figurative bridges …
Nippon's postwar contribution / ODA builds literal, figurative bridges. Mitsuru Tamura/The Yomiuri Shimbun. In this photo taken on June 24, ... «The Japan News, Jul 15»
3
Literal wedding crashers take golf cart on a joyride, cause $10000 in …
Two men attending a wedding at Mississippi Dunes Golf Links in Cottage Grove, Minn., allegedly took a golf cart on a joy ride, causing more ... «Grand Forks Herald, Jul 15»
4
Study: Beaches Are Literal Human Litter Boxes
All this time you were worried about the water, but the sand is the real problem. You're not only swimming in pee and poop particles, but also ... «Jezebel, Jul 15»
5
'Gloves up, guns down' becomes literal for Aiken couple
STAFF PHOTO BY MAAYAN SCHECHTER Antonio Staley, right, trains with Destiny Minnick, 7, at Team Hankinson's boxing gym in Shiloh ... «Aiken Standard, Jul 15»
6
Ten awesomely literal Danish words
Ten awesomely literal Danish words. Published: 16 Jul 2015 06:49 GMT+02:00. Facebook · Twitter · Google+ · reddit. Say what you will about the difficulties of ... «The Local Denmark, Jul 15»
7
Greece Is in a Literal State of Unrest, and the Future Looks Bleak
While twisters and terror attacks ransack societies in an obvious way, crippling economic decline is more of a chronic disease, slowly withering ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
8
NHL 16 video shows off the literal small steps the game's taking
Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon isn't always going to zoom up ice, spin around Blackhawk blue-liners, and leave Corey Crawford ... «Destructoid, Jul 15»
9
Cara Delevigne and Nat Wolff Get Literal in 'Paper Towns' Latest …
Each trailer we see just gets us more and more excited for July 24 to roll around. Luckily, there is another trailer out and it is the coolest, most ... «Fanlala, Jul 15»
10
A Literal Knight in Shining Armor Helped Stop a Would-Be Thief …
A literal knight in shining armor came to the rescue and helped police arrest the man and escort him from the premises. “I thought they were ... «TheBlaze.com, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Literal [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/literal>. Apr 2024 ».
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