What is the meaning of "What does LITERALLY mean and when do u guys say literally?give me some examples"? - Question about English (US) (2024)

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"Literally," while it does have a technical definition, is most commonly used in casual situations to add emphasis. In these casual situations, "literally" will often be stressed heavily.

"It is literally that simple"
"That is literally what is says"
"I literally do that every day"

Because of it's meaning and use in casual situations, using it in more formal settings can feel strange or informal. I wouldn't recommend using "literally" in any academic papers or in speeches.

Hope this helps! : )

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"Literally," while it does have a technical definition, is most commonly used in casual situations to add emphasis. In these casual situations, "literally" will often be stressed heavily.

"It is literally that simple"
"That is literally what is says"
"I literally do that every day"

Because of it's meaning and use in casual situations, using it in more formal settings can feel strange or informal. I wouldn't recommend using "literally" in any academic papers or in speeches.

Hope this helps! : )

It means "exactly" or "precisely", so something is exactly 100% as it is described and is the real situation. For example:
"He took it literally when I told him to take a hike" = I told him to "take a hike", and he took it as an exact instruction and so went to take a hike
"She was literally taking candy from her younger brother" = She was taking candy from her younger brother, and this is an exact description of what happened

However, "literally" is also often used to exaggerate something that happened.
"I literally died when he jumped out from behind the bush" = obviously this person didn't actually die, but they're saying that they were incredibly startled and frightened by the person jumping out from behind the bush, like when someone scares you and your heart skips a beat

@BrokenCreativity is it good to use literally in conversation ? (I rlly bad at english sorry 🤔😊 )

@lina2005410 Yes, using "literally" in conversation is very common, but like with most words, using it too much can become noticable.

For now, I'd recommend you stick to using "literally" to mean "exactly" or "precisely." The nuances and social context clues of its exaggerating/sarcastic meaning can be hard to get right for someone getting started

"Literally" is an adverb from the adjective "literal". It means to be exact or precise on what you are referring to. You use it when you want accuracy on your point, or it can be a replacement for the words "really, surely, truly, actually, absolutely etc."
ex. I literally hate this smell.
That person is literally a millionaire.
We never thought you would literally betray us.