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It doesn't mean the same thing as "figuratively". "I figuratively died laughing" doesn't mean anything to most people; most English-speakers won't understand wh

It doesn't mean the same thing as "figuratively". "I figuratively died laughing" doesn't mean anything to most people; most English-speakers won't understand what you mean by it. I mean, that usage of "figuratively" was invented purely as a reaction to non-literal "literally" so only people who have heard of this usage debate will understand what you're doing. "I literally died laughing" doesn't mean the same thing as "I died laughing", either. "Literally" functions as an intensifier here, and therefore the former sentence is stronger.

Jedd 10y ago
Yeah, okay, I shouldn't have suggested the use of the word 'figuratively' as a surrogate for some emphatic adjective. Would you be happy with 'I died laughing ...' when people describe something especially funny? (I would, for the record.) And/or do you think 'I literally died laughing ...' (when people didn't actually die from laughing) to be more emphatic / compelling a commendation? If someone said 'I literally died twice from laughter ...' would that be doublepluscompelling?
- Dylan16807 10y ago
  Now you're just coming off as mad at intensifiers in general. Sure, you can write without them. Doesn't stop them from being useful.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >Would you be happy with 'I died laughing ...' when people describe something especially funny? (I would, for the record.) Then you would already be OK with something analogous to using "literally" as an intensifier. Since, of course, "died" also means something specific that's unrelated to laughing, and the person uttering the phrase doesn't imply that they actually died. >If someone said 'I literally died twice from laughter ...' would that be doublepluscompelling? No, that's why people don't say it. It's the historical evolution of language that dictates what's "doublepluscompelling" or not, not some a priori rules.
- Retra 10y ago
  None of this is important.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  "He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby like

Jedd 10y ago

Yeah, okay, I shouldn't have suggested the use of the word 'figuratively' as a surrogate for some emphatic adjective. Would you be happy with 'I died laughing ...' when people describe something especially funny? (I would, for the record.) And/or do you think 'I literally died laughing ...' (when people didn't actually die from laughing) to be more emphatic / compelling a commendation? If someone said 'I literally died twice from laughter ...' would that be doublepluscompelling?

Dylan16807 10y ago
Now you're just coming off as mad at intensifiers in general. Sure, you can write without them. Doesn't stop them from being useful.
coldtea 10y ago
>Would you be happy with 'I died laughing ...' when people describe something especially funny? (I would, for the record.) Then you would already be OK with something analogous to using "literally" as an intensifier. Since, of course, "died" also means something specific that's unrelated to laughing, and the person uttering the phrase doesn't imply that they actually died. >If someone said 'I literally died twice from laughter ...' would that be doublepluscompelling? No, that's why people don't say it. It's the historical evolution of language that dictates what's "doublepluscompelling" or not, not some a priori rules.
Retra 10y ago
None of this is important.
nommm-nommm 10y ago
"He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby like