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> Were that the case, “literally” would not literally mean both itself and its opposite. It doesn't mean the opposite. People misuse it a lot in that way, but
by bigstrat2003 1y ago
> Were that the case, “literally” would not literally mean both itself and its opposite.
It doesn't mean the opposite. People misuse it a lot in that way, but they are quite wrong.
- latexr 1y agoRead the link and follow the definition. The “figurative”, “for emphasis” usage of literally was officially added to dictionaries, meaning it is official it means that, whether we like it or not. Whenever you tell people they are wrong for that usage of “literally”, you are now the wrong one. You are advocating for prescriptivism, but descriptivism is a perfectly valid approach to language. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/descriptive-vs-prescriptive-defining-lexicography https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/descriptive-vs-presc... We all use plenty of words by their “wrong” meaning, because they changed over time and before we were born.