literally

Universal Words adverb 1 in a literal way SYNEXACTLY: The word 'planet' literally means 'wandering body'. * When I told you to 'get lost' I didn't expect to be taken literally. * Idioms usually cannot be translated literally into another language. 2 used to emphasize the truth of sth that may seem surprising: There are literally hundreds of prizes to win. 3 (informal) used to emphasize a word or phrase that is being used in a FIGURATIVE way: I literally jumped out of my skin.