noun literal meaning.
2. literal ·adj consisting of, or expressed by, letters.
3. literal ·adj following the letter or exact words; not free.
4. literal ·adj giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of fast;
applied to persons.
5. literal ·adj according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical; as, the literal meaning of a phrase.