Synonyms for literal
ˈlɪt ər əllit·er·al

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.0 / 2 votes

1. literaladjective

   Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.

   The literal translation is hands full of bananas but it means empty-handed.

   Antonyms:
   figurative

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. literal

   Oral (Latin os, the mouth) signifies uttered through the mouth or (in common phrase) by word of mouth; verbal (Latin verbum, a word) signifies of, pertaining to, or connected with words, especially with words as distinguished from the ideas they convey; vocal (Latin vox, the voice) signifies of or pertaining to the voice, uttered or modulated by the voice, and especially uttered with or sounding with full, resonant voice; literal (Latin litera, a letter) signifies consisting of or expressed by letters, or according to the letter, in the broader sense of the exact meaning or requirement of the words used; what is called "the letter of the law" is its literal meaning without going behind what is expressed by the letters on the page. Thus oral applies to that which is given by spoken words in distinction from that which is written or printed; as, oral tradition; an oral examination. By this rule we should in strictness speak of an oral contract or an oral message, but verbal contract and verbal message, as indicating that which is by spoken rather than by written words, have become so fixed in the language that they can probably never be changed; this usage is also in line with other idioms of the language; as, "I give you my word," "a true man's word is as good as his bond," "by word of mouth," etc. A verbal translation may be oral or written, so that it is word for word; a literal translation follows the construction and idiom of the original as well as the words; a literal translation is more than one that is merely verbal; both verbal and literal are opposed to free. In the same sense, of attending to words only, we speak of verbal criticism, a verbal change. Vocal has primary reference to the human voice; as, vocal sounds, vocal music; vocal may be applied within certain limits to inarticulate sounds given forth by other animals than man; as, the woods were vocal with the songs of birds; oral is never so applied, but is limited to articulate utterance regarded as having a definite meaning; as, an oral statement.

   Synonyms:
   oral, verbal, vocal

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. literal

   Synonyms:
   exact, grammatical, verbal, close, real, positive, actual, plain

   Antonyms:
   general, substantial, metaphorical, free, spiritual

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. misprint, erratum, typographical error, typo, literal error, literaladjective

   a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind

   Synonyms:
   misprint, literal error, erratum, typo, typographical error

   Antonyms:
   metonymical, analogical, false, metaphorical, synecdochical, inexact, fancy, metaphoric, metonymic, tropical, nonliteral, figurative, extended, synecdochic, poetic

2. actual, genuine, literal, realadjective

   being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something

   "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma"

   Synonyms:
   true(a), actual, tangible, material, real, veridical, existent, genuine, factual, unfeigned, echt, substantial, real(a)

   Antonyms:
   metonymic, metaphorical, fancy, synecdochical, metaphoric, synecdochic, analogical, extended, inexact, poetic, false, figurative, nonliteral, tropical, metonymical

3. literaladjective

   without interpretation or embellishment

   "a literal depiction of the scene before him"

   Synonyms:
   actual, genuine, real

   Antonyms:
   metaphoric, fancy, false, synecdochic, tropical, inexact, metaphorical, synecdochical, metonymical, figurative, analogical, poetic, extended, nonliteral, metonymic

4. literaladjective

   limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text

   "a literal translation"

   Synonyms:
   actual, genuine, real

   Antonyms:
   synecdochic, metonymical, fancy, poetic, nonliteral, synecdochical, metaphorical, false, inexact, figurative, analogical, extended, tropical, metaphoric, metonymic

5. literaladjective

   avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis)

   "it's the literal truth"

   Synonyms:
   actual, genuine, real

   Antonyms:
   metonymic, inexact, metaphorical, metaphoric, extended, synecdochical, nonliteral, false, poetic, analogical, figurative, fancy, metonymical, tropical, synecdochic

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. literalnoun

   Synonyms:
   as regards letters

2. literalnoun

   Synonyms:
   according to the exact meaning, not figurative

3. literalnoun

   Synonyms:
   following the exact words, not free

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "literal":

   verbatim, artisanal, word-for-word

How to pronounce literal?

How to say literal in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use literal in a sentence?

1. Joe Biden:

   I have never heard anyone say with any serious background in foreign policy, 'Pull all troops out of the Middle East', if she meant pulling our fleet out of the eastern Mediterranean or the Persian Gulf, I think it will be an absolute disaster for American security and American foreign policy ... I hope she didn't mean in a literal sense.

2. Lauren McLean:

   The antisemitic messages contained in the graffiti found along the Greenbelt put a literal and figurative stain on Boise Parks and Recreation workers community. This will not be tolerated, hate speech is reprehensible. It is not who( Boise Parks and Recreation workers) are as a city and is not part of Boise Parks and Recreation workers shared values. I invite all good people of Boise to stand with me, as I stand with Boise Parks and Recreation workers Jewish neighbors, to rebuke this hate.

3. Maya Morena:

   I think things come to an end and it has been a good run. I don't think we'll be on [ OnlyFans ] for much longer, a lot of guys on the internet — trolls or whatever — are making fun of [ the news ] but they don't understand that this is people's literal livelihood. [ People are ] making six figures and paying federal income taxes off this money.

4. President Tayyip Erdogan:

   There is now a president in the country not with symbolic power, but with literal power.

5. Grant Gaither:

   Until he says a literal N-word or something like that. Then yeah, I might be pissed, but that is beyond irrelevant to me.