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Literally (adv): 1) in a literal sense or manner. 2) (informal) used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true
by jmcgough 8y ago
Literally (adv):
1) in a literal sense or manner.
2) (informal) used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible
I literally just did.
- bcheung 8y agoThis is a fairly recent and controversial change to the word. It was updated officially in the dictionary after people kept misusing the word. So now it means both literally and the complete opposite of literally.
- netsharc 8y ago"literally" was used the way teenagers use them now in old literature too: https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/literally-centuries-of-non-literal-literally/ https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/literally-centuri... But yeah people using this term still grinds my gears.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- grahamburger 8y agoPeople aren't misusing the word. Hyperbole always doesn't mean what it says. The meaning of the statement "my head just exploded" is that my head just exploded. The meaning of the statement "my head just literally exploded" is the same but maybe stronger. The hyperbole applies to the whole phrase and makes the whole thing mean something other than the literal definition of the words.