What are some alternative words for literal?
Synonyms for literal
ˈlɪt ər əl
This thesaurus page is about all possible synonyms, equivalent, same meaning and similar words for the term literal.
Princeton's WordNet
misprint, erratum, typographical error, typo, literal error, literal(adj)
a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind
Synonyms:
misprint, literal error, erratum, typo, typographical errorAntonyms:
metonymical, analogical, false, metaphorical, synecdochical, inexact, fancy, metaphoric, metonymic, tropical, nonliteral, figurative, extended, synecdochic, poeticactual, genuine, literal, real(adj)
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, metonymicalliteral(adj)
without interpretation or embellishment
"a literal depiction of the scene before him"
Synonyms:
actual, genuine, realAntonyms:
metaphoric, fancy, false, synecdochic, tropical, inexact, metaphorical, synecdochical, metonymical, figurative, analogical, poetic, extended, nonliteral, metonymicliteral(adj)
limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text
"a literal translation"
Synonyms:
actual, genuine, realAntonyms:
synecdochic, metonymical, fancy, poetic, nonliteral, synecdochical, metaphorical, false, inexact, figurative, analogical, extended, tropical, metaphoric, metonymicliteral(adj)
avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis)
"it's the literal truth"
Synonyms:
actual, genuine, realAntonyms:
metonymic, inexact, metaphorical, metaphoric, extended, synecdochical, nonliteral, false, poetic, analogical, figurative, fancy, metonymical, tropical, synecdochic
Wiktionary
literal(adjective)
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 \u201Chands full of bananas\u201D but it means empty-handed.
Antonyms:
figurative
English Synonyms and Antonyms
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.
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
literal
Synonyms:
exact, grammatical, verbal, close, real, positive, actual, plainAntonyms:
general, substantial, metaphorical, free, spiritual
Dictionary of English Synonymes
literal(n.)
Synonyms:
as regards lettersliteral(n.)
Synonyms:
according to the exact meaning, not figurativeliteral(n.)
Synonyms:
following the exact words, not free
PPDB, the paraphrase database
List of paraphrases for "literal":
Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#212 | real | |
#735 | close | |
#812 | material | |
#1467 | positive | |
#1920 | actual | |
#1950 | oral | |
#3226 | plain | |
#3402 | exact | |
#4434 | substantial | |
#5018 | genuine | |
#6652 | vocal | |
#9729 | verbal | |
#12048 | literal | |
#13539 | tangible | |
#13806 | factual | |
#14768 | verbatim | |
#18199 | typo | |
#21867 | existent | |
#23026 | grammatical | |
#48909 | erratum | |
#69115 | artisanal | |
#70209 | echt | |
#105508 | misprint | |
#169588 | veridical | |
#218204 | unfeigned |
How to use literal in a sentence?
Patients with autism... may be more literal, they may not make as much eye contact, but they do have a lot to say, and if you can be a little more patient, it'll be really helpful.
It is hard to believe some of the questions that come up - what about the ball? What about handling in the literal sense?
We don’t tend to be literal in our beliefs in Iceland, not even the Christian ones.
If you support a leader because he offers you something, you are the literal murderer of your people, and you can't be a good patriot. Therefore, your people are buried alive.
How can he go left if he can’t see? this was a literal presentation of being blindsided. He was attacked on his blind side. To me it seems obvious. He’s being punched in the face, he can’t see.
Translations for literal
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- doslovnýCzech
- buchstäblich, wörtlichGerman
- κατά γράμμαGreek
- sanatarkka, sananmukainen, kirjaimellinenFinnish
- littéral, épistolaireFrench
- բառացիArmenian
- bókstaflegurIcelandic
- letterale, alla letteraItalian
- 逐語的, 文字上の, 文字通りJapanese
- 정확한Korean
- letter, letterlijk, literaal, striktDutch
- literałPolish
- constante, literalPortuguese
- literală, literallyRomanian
- точный, дословный, буквальный, буквенныйRussian
- bokstavlig, ordagrannSwedish
Get even more translations for literal »
Translation
Find a translation for the literal synonym in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:
"literal." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 3 Mar. 2021. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/literal>.