what does "literrally" mean?

Question

what does "literrally" mean?

Answer 1

Everyone who has answered so far is wrong. What it means is the opposite of what is says. People use it AS a word that really means "figuratively."

People say things all time like "I was literally starving", when what they actually intend to convey is that they were figuratively starving. This happens in English all time. Ultimately, common usage creates proper form. If every starts using "Gay" to mean homosexual instead of happy or whimsical, then that is what it means. Communication is about what is meant and what is understood. If the two match up, communication has taken place. Villain comes from Villaine, a Norman word for peasant farmer. Since the nobles all assumed the peasants would steal if given the chance, it came to have its modern meaning.

In current usage, literally actually means figuratively. Nobody would ever greet a friend who was late in meeting him or her for lunch with, "Jeez, you're so late. I'm figuratively starving."

Answer 2

Rico points out an apparent problem, but not the correct solution.

"Literally" is used, first of all, to mean "strictly, exactly as stated" or "word for word" [based on the origin of the word, one might say "it literally means, 'by the LETTER'"].

But from this it has become an INTENSIVE, which may be used BEFORE figurative expressions for EMPHASIS (like "really!"). But it does NOT, even in that case, have the MEANING "figuratively".

Compare the usage notes in various dictionaries and you'll see both the criticism and explanation.

For example:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/literally
http://www.webster.com/dictionary/literally

compare http://www.webster.com/dictionary/literal

Answer 3

It's the opposite of "figuratively". It means you're not using a metaphor: "he literally just about died" means he was actually close to death, not that he was laughing very very hard.

Answer 4

Literally is an often misused word. It means 'as it is written'. When someone says 'He literally flew down the street' it means just that, flew, not ran, drove or anything else.

Answer 5

"literally" means "in the literal sense" -- to mean, not "figuratively", not by insinuation or by interpreted meaning, nor by indirect, derived sense. Just means what the word means!

Answer 6

literally: really very much so: for example if i was to say you are literally a smarty pants i would be saying you are a very smart person instead of saying it in a sarcastic way!!!

Answer 7

Literally means that the words mean exactly what they say. No jargon or figures of speech are being used.

Answer 8

it means take it in the context that it was said in, instead of thinking about what the person implied

Answer 9

In practical or in real life.

Answer 10

literally...it means literally literally