literal
adjective
[ ˈlɪt(ə)r(ə)l ]
• taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or exaggeration.
• "dreadful in its literal sense, full of dread"
• (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text.
• "a literal translation from the Spanish"
Similar:
word-for-word,
verbatim,
line-for-line,
letter-for-letter,
exact,
precise,
faithful,
close,
strict,
to the letter,
undeviating,
true,
accurate,
literatim,
• (of a person or performance) lacking imagination; prosaic.
• "his interpretation was rather too literal"
Similar:
literal-minded,
down-to-earth,
factual,
matter-of-fact,
no-nonsense,
unsentimental,
level-headed,
hard-headed,
prosaic,
unimaginative,
colourless,
pedestrian,
tedious,
boring,
dull,
humdrum,
uninspired,
uninspiring,
prosy,
• of, in, or expressed by a letter or the letters of the alphabet.
• "literal mnemonics"
literal
noun
• a misprint of a letter.
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French, or from late Latin litteralis, from Latin littera (see letter).
