adjective

literal

LIT-er-uhl/ˈlɪtərəl/

Faithful to the exact words or facts rather than a figurative meaning.

The red chair matches the literal description on the card.

A person pointing at the exact words 'red chair' on a card beside an ordinary red chair, literal direct correspondence, no metaphor.

Etymology

Literally belonging to letters or writing, literal came to describe interpretation that follows the words themselves. Its early use contrasted the ordinary meaning of Scripture with mystical or allegorical readings.

In context

David Perell26:10

If we wanted to make exact literal logic sense, we wouldn't be writing poetry. >> Yeah. You don't read poetry to get the meaning of the sentence.

Learn To Write Poetry (in 47 Minutes) — Ada Limón & Joy Harjo

More examples

The literal meaning of “break the ice” involves actual ice.
A literal translation can sound awkward in another language.
His description is a literal account of what happened, without exaggeration.

Forms

literal

literally adverb — In an exact rather than figurative sense.

Similar words

nonfigurative: Specifically excludes metaphor, without necessarily implying word-for-word faithfulness.
verbatim: Describes identical wording, rather than how words are interpreted.
exact: Emphasizes complete accuracy, not necessarily the absence of figurative meaning.