literally |ˈlitərəlē; ˈlitrə-|
adverb
in a literal manner or sense; exactly : the driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle | tiramisu, literally translated “pick me up.”
• informal used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true : I have received literally thousands of letters.
USAGE In its standard use, literally means ‘in a literal sense, as opposed to a nonliteral or exaggerated sense,’: : I told him I never wanted to see him again, but I didn't expect him to take it literally . In recent years, an extended use of literally (and also literal) has become very common, where literally (or literal) is used deliberately in nonliteral contexts, for added effect: : they bought the car and literally ran it into the ground. This use can lead to unintentional humorous effects ( : we were literally killing ourselves laughing) and is not acceptable in formal English.

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