English · Word Candidate

literally

/ˈlɪ.tə.ɹə.li/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

In a literal manner; exactly as stated, word for word. — Without overstatement or understatement, or false or misleading words.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Manner chính xác như được nêu, từ từ, không phóng đại hoặc giảm nhẹ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

He's prone to exaggeration, so don't take what he says literally.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

In a literal manner; exactly as stated, word for word. — With phrasings that might normally be used or understood as figurative: truly; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một cách chính xác như đã nói

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “literally” mean?

In a literal manner; exactly as stated, word for word. — Without overstatement or understatement, or false or misleading words.

Is “literally” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.