as in accurately
in a literal, true, or accurate way
She is not one for hyperbole—all of her warnings should be taken literally. The employees took the CEO's remarks literally and rightfully worried about the future health of the company.
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Recent Examples of literally
And Bad Bunny’s performance literally started straight from the roots.
—
Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But nothing could have prepared viewers for the movie's ending, as an unfinished screenplay became the stuff of nightmares — literally and figuratively.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2026
But like all good soapy murders, a body—the maid of honor’s—soon (literally) washes up, plunging the entire wedding party into delightful whodunit mayhem.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Tackling improves in the open field As good as the Seahawks have been on defense, tackling has been literally hit or miss.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literally
Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But nothing could have prepared viewers for the movie's ending, as an unfinished screenplay became the stuff of nightmares — literally and figuratively.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2026
But like all good soapy murders, a body—the maid of honor’s—soon (literally) washes up, plunging the entire wedding party into delightful whodunit mayhem.
—Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Tackling improves in the open field As good as the Seahawks have been on defense, tackling has been literally hit or miss.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literally
Adverb
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Still, Choula said, long-distance caregivers are often grappling with not having enough information to accurately assess their parents' needs.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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Although its exact origins can’t be accurately traced, curling is a sport believed to have originated in the 16th century.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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All four returning astronauts went directly to the hospital after splashing down in the Pacific near San Diego.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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These models from China are directly competing with video generation models such as OpenAI's Sora, as well as robotics models from Nvidia and Google.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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Literally
A word that (literally) drives people nuts
Cite this Entry
“Literally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literally. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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