Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of literal

4 similar words · 5 opposite words

Another word for literal is word-for-word. Other synonyms of literal are verbatim, typo and literal constant. The opposite of literal is figurative.

Synonyms and similar words for literal

adjectiveExactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not...

nounA misprint (or occasionally a scribal error) that affects a letter.

nounA value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program.

  • literal constant

Opposite of literal

adjectiveAntonym(s) of “exactly as stated”.

  • figurativeOf use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures.
  • free
  • metaphoricalPertaining to or characterized by a metaphor; figurative; symbolic.
  • nonliteralNot literal.
  • illiteralNot literal.

Meaning of literal

  1. adjective Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.
  2. adjective Actual, real, physical.
  3. adjective That which generally assumes that the plainest reading of a given text is correct but which allows for metaphor where context indicates it.

Full definition of literal

literal in other languages

Questions about synonyms of literal

What is another word for literal?
Literal has 4 synonyms on Word.ws, such as word-for-word, verbatim, typo and literal constant.
What is the opposite of literal?
The opposite of literal is figurative. Other antonyms of literal are nonliteral, illiteral, metaphorical and free.
What does literal mean?
Literal means exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: literal (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of literal.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/literal. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.