LITERALLY


Meaning of LITERALLY in English

lit ‧ e ‧ ral ‧ ly S2 /ˈlɪt ə rəli/ BrE AmE adverb

1 . according to the most basic or original meaning of a word or expression:

The name of the cheese is Dolcelatte, literally meaning ‘sweet milk’.

I said I felt like quitting, but I didn’t mean it literally (=I did not mean exactly what I said) !

2 . take somebody/something literally to believe exactly what someone or something says rather than trying to understand their general meaning:

She takes the Bible literally.

3 . used to emphasize that something, especially a large number, is actually true:

The Olympic Games were watched by literally billions of people.

4 . spoken used to emphasize a strong expression or word that is not being used in its real or original meaning. Some people consider this use to be incorrect:

Dad was literally blazing with anger.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.