26984 words

literal

4 definitions • 4 examples
1
The literal meaning of a word is its original, basic meaning:

Examples:

The literal meaning of "television" is "seeing from a distance".
You will need to show more than just a literal understanding of the text.
2
A literal translation of a text is done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence:

Examples:

Her translation is too literal, resulting in unnatural-sounding prose.
3
having exactly the same meaning as the basic or original meaning of a word or expression:

Examples:

a literal interpretation of the Constitution
4
A literal translation of a phrase in another language gives the meaning of each separate word.

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