Meaning & use
literally
In a literal sense; exactly as stated, without exaggeration or metaphor.
See it in a sentence
The recipe literally takes five minutes to prepare from start to finish.
She literally ran the entire marathon without stopping once to walk.
A note on using this word
In casual speech, 'literally' is often used for emphasis even when the statement is not literally true; careful writers reserve it for exact accuracy.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
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