literal /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/adjective 7noun 3forms 3 adjective7 •Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.The literal translation of Spanish irse al otro barrio is "to go to the other neighbourhood" but it means "to die".A literal reading of the law would prohibit it, but that is clearly not the intent. •That which generally assumes that the plainest reading of a given text is correct but which allows for metaphor where context indicates it. •Following the historical-grammatical method of biblical interpretation. •(nonstandard) Used nonliterally as an intensifier. See literally for usage notes.Telemarketers are the literal worst. •Unimaginative; matter-of-fact; literal-minded. •Actual, real, physical. •Consisting of, or expressed by, letters (of an alphabet); using literation. noun3 •A value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program. •A misprint (or occasionally a scribal error) that affects a letter. •An atomic formula (consisting of a propositional variable) or its negation. formsliterals · more literal · most literal
