quite literally

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   Used to stress that words are meant in their exact, real sense, not as a figure of speech.

   Grammar: Sits before the word or clause it stresses: it was quite literally a mountain of paper.

   Patterns

   • quite literally + noun or clause

   The shop is quite literally across the road from my flat.

   She quite literally wrote the book on the subject.

   The street was quite literally under water after the storm.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformaldisapproving

   Used loosely to add force to an exaggeration, although the statement is not exactly true.

   Grammar: Often criticized because the claim is not true to the letter: I quite literally died laughing.

   I was quite literally dying of embarrassment.

   The queue was quite literally a mile long.

   He quite literally exploded with anger.

Common combinations

quite literally the best

This is quite literally the best soup I have ever tasted.

quite literally true

What she said was quite literally true.

quite literally speaking

Quite literally speaking, he has not slept in two days.

taken quite literally

His advice should not be taken quite literally.

Synonyms and how they differ

literally

Literally is the shorter, more common form, while quite literally adds slight extra emphasis.

actually

Actually suggests a surprise about what is real, while quite literally focuses on the exact sense of the words.

truly

Truly stresses sincerity or degree, and does not point to an exact, non-figurative meaning.

Opposites

Word family

literal adjective

following the exact meaning of the words

literally adverb

in the exact sense of the words

literalness noun

the quality of being literal

Commonly confused: quite literally or figuratively?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “quite literally”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words