Literally: adverb. In a literal manner or sense; exactly. Used to emphasize the truth and accuracy of a statement or description.
That is the definition of the word “literally” from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. That is what I’ve been led to believe is the true meaning of the word, and that is how I’ve used the word my entire life. However, there is also another definition now.
Literally: adverb. Used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible.
Dude, seriously? They use the word correctly in the totally incorrect definition. How confusing is that. So if it’s “not literally true”, does that mean it’s not true, or that it’s actually kind of true? Doesn’t this defeat the whole purpose of the word “literally”? I don’t even know what I’m saying. My head hurts. This is literally like a literal Inception, literally.
Why can’t the people who make words just make up another word? It’s as if so many people were using it incorrectly that they just caved like lenient parents. “Ahhh fine, it can mean that too.”
Orrrrr, how about everyone just uses it correctly?
I can’t stand when people use the word “literally” in a nonliteral sense. It literally annoys me.
“Omg, I’m literally dying from that picture.”
Oh are you? Is the picture poisonous? Did it pull out a picture gun and shoot you? Is it one of those pesky hitman pictures? Wait, what? Those don’t exist? Hmm, guess that means you aren’t literally dying, are you?
“Those wings are spicy, my mouth is literally on fire. ”
What? Did the spicy wings pour gasoline into your mouth and then toss a match into it? Are you in the circus? Are you a dragon? Oh man, I better go get the fire extinguisher! Oh, what’s that you say? It isn’t actually on fire? You just said “literally” to add effect? Sounds a lot like being over-dramatic.
My personal favorite:
“I literally can’t even.”
You literally can’t even what? Use the word “literally” correctly? Finish a whole sentence? This “sentence” makes me literally confused.
So, in summary, the word “literally” either means the absolute truth, or the complete opposite of the absolute truth. You can literally just choose which definition you want. Maybe I’m the only one, but this just seems crazy to me. When I try to think about it, I literally can’t even.
I literally agree. But may be in a minority over the correct usage.
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Same here! Literally! 😂
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This is literally the most litterally literal blog post I’ve ever read! And funny! I snort-laughed! 😀
HUGS!!! 😛
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Glad I could literally make you laugh!! 😎🙃
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😀
I enjoy writing funny on my own blog…even if I’m the only one who laughs at my silliness! 😛
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Comedy is the best part of life! Makes everything not so serious 😁
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True dat! I agree wholeheartedly! 🙂
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I agree.. nicely put.. thanks for following the blog and look forward to more.. will put this in the blogger daily this evening.. Sally
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No problem, thank you for the follow! 😄
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Thanks again for putting me on your daily blogger, I really appreciate that!
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Pleasure.. very happy to share great posts. Sally
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I’m literally amewsed! (=^・ェ・^=))ノ彡☆
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😂😂
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Oh, another English major irritant!
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Yes, that’s the frustrating thing about language. If one person uses a word wrong and then another and another, eventually it’s not wrong anymore.
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Right? It’s crazy!
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I’m guilty of doing it, but it’s mostly as a bad impression of Chris Traeger from Parks and Rec.
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😂😂
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I literally couldn’t understand literally literally. Confusing?! 😀
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I know what you mean! Literally!😄
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This was literally hilarious. 🙂
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Thank you! I hope it literally made you laugh! 😎
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Haha this is too real! Love it.
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Thanks glad you liked it!
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It literally did! LOL
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This reminds me of this post from Zenpencils (http://zenpencils.com/comic/95-louis-c-k-we-dont-think-about-how-we-talk/)
I don’t know if we are just jumping for superlatives because it’s easy or we are lazy. Loved the way you presented your thoughts tho. I literally can’t even. Haha
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Thank you!! Glad I could proved some smiles!! 😁
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This made my brain storm, it’s so satisfyingly effortful to comprehend each sentence and laugh at every intricate pun.
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Thank you I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
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Haha i feel like this just applies to me in so many ways 😛
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Glad you could relate! 😎
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Very relatable. Of course the real secret of literally lies in the fact that the word itself isn’t used to convey meaning but rather the inteligence of the speaker 😀
I’m always sure to correct people. It’s how I keep my friend count bellow 2.5 and avoid commitments 😛
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Totally agree! 😂 thanks for the comment, I hope I can provide some more relatable stuff in the future! 😎
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This is literally awesome!
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This reminded me of that literally versus figuratively scene in the Netflix “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”
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I haven’t seen it I’ll have to check it out!
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If you “literally can’t even” does that make you odd?
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I guess it kind of does! 😂
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Cool Post.
Stand by to become more outraged as the latest ‘literary’ fad gains ground with those hell-bent on torturing our language and grammar…
People have started using the word ‘legit’ in a similar fashion to ‘literally’.
Example? (using your first sentence in the post) This is the Worst day of my life. Legit!
Ughhhh.
We both know this is not going to end well.
love.
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Yes you are very right! Legit is catching on quickly as well unfortunately. Hopefully I can provide some more good posts in the future! 👍🏼
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I agree using literally in a non-literal way is annoying. My personal peeve has to do with ‘Real’, whether it is as something is really really….(which i find really, really annoying – i heard you the first time!), it was unreal – oh, you mean fantasy or fictional or never actually happened? or those who don’t understand what the word surreal actually means but use it anyway because it sounds cool or they think it makes them sound hip. ( It just makes you sound dumb to those who know when it is appropriate to use surreal and when it is not – which admittedly is a pretty small number of English speaking natives). 🙂
love.
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Totally agree!! 👍🏼
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Great article, made me laugh. I completely agree with you! People use it all the time completely wrong! It quite literally needs to stop! I feel like it’s become trendy to use ‘literally ” alll the time. Hopefully, like most trends, it will soon pass! Thanks for following my blog, btw, I really appreciated it.
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I’m glad you agree and could get a laugh out of the post! And no problem, just hope I can continue to deliver the goods!
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This is great, and the discourse that follows is just as good. Thanks for the add and alerting me to this blog. I have a feeling this will soon become a favorite of mine. Now, do me a favor and write to Alanis and explain to her what irony is. Thank you.
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Thanks for the comment, I’m glad you liked it man! Much appreciated!
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Literally literal meeting
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Enjoyed reading this-looking forward to more! I have to admit that I just used the l-word in a recent post. Now I need to go back and make sure I am not one of the folks I am laughing about!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it! And lol! 😂
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You’re totally right!
At last. Someone willing to state the literal truth =P
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Glad you liked it! 😁
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😀
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Gawd . . . I can jump on the bandwagon with that one . . . and p’raps one or two other words used in ways quite contrary to their intended use . . . here’s a thought: we’ll just become modern day archaeological linguists tracking the real-time of drift of meaning and usage? 🙂
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You may be right on that one! 😂
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Wonderful! This also drives me crazy but clearly provides good content for a hilarious post!
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Thank you! And yes it drives me crazy too, so I figured it could at least try to get some laughs out of it!
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The stunt man was literally on fire or was he? I guess his special fireproof suit was on fire. But he’s writing a book about it and his literary agent was so literally excited about it that he fired him for being too emotional to see to the details of promotion. He knows the literal consequences of not paying attention to detail. It’s a hot topic for him. It’s cool to be hot.
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😂😂😂 exactly!
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Alternate language?
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I guess so!
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BWA! Literally LOVED this, but then, I’m an English teacher… no, really! Could we do something about ‘my bad’ while we are on the topic?
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😂😂 I will cook up some more grammar posts for sure! Stay tuned! I should’ve included “my bad” that’s was literally my bad on that one! 🙃
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Ha ha. This literally makes me think of my girlfriend who irritates the hell out of me by over using the cursed damn word; and never in the correct literal sense which just makes it worse. Priceless!!!
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Glad you enjoyed it! 😂
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Language has been like that forever. See something awesome? “Oh man, that’s bad!” Or my favorite one, “Awww yeah, that’s sick.”
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Congratulations!
I have nominated your blog for the Real Neat Blog Award.
More about this nomination is at
https://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/real-neat-blog-award-congratulations-9-nominees/
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Awesome! Do I just put the questions on my blog at any time?
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Indeed 🙂 You don’t have to hurry, as the award is for helping bloggers, not for hurrying them 🙂
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Ok cool, appreciate this a lot! 😁
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Very literal. For my part, I shall make up my own definition of literal. 🙂
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😂😂
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Reblogged this on Brainy Versatility.
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Awesome! 👍🏼
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This is pretty damn funny. My favorite one so far!
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Thank you! 😁
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Reblogged this on Still Another Writer's Blog.
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Awesome thank you!!! 👍🏼👍🏼
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That was literally fucking hilarious 😂😂
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I’m glad you liked it! 😂
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Literally and actually for all intents and purposes are actually becoming
literally synonymous – it’s a strange world we’re living in.
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Totally agree!
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This is so cool .You really cool
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Thank you!!
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Yes people need to learn to finish the sentence! Good piece.
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Thank you! 👍🏼👍🏼
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I saw this satirical change in our holy book, The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, a couple of years ago and as a writer AND editor, I was literally flabbergasted! So what word really means “literally”? None, I guess. We live in a world of buffoons!
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It’s totally crazy! I couldn’t believe it when I read it lol.
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Either could I! If everything means nothing … what are we?
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Exactly!
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Okay, slow down there Aaron Sorkin! But, in all seriousness, this was quite brilliant! So many good and hilarious examples. It’s so sad to remember that this in fact became a thing.
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Lol thank you for the compliment! I’m very glad you enjoyed it, and yeah it’s just crazy how the meaning is actually changing!
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This annoys me too!!
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Glad could relate!
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Reblogged this on Brave and Reckless and commented:
Meet Saucebox. This “literally” had me laughing out loud at my computer this morning.
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Awesome! 😂 thanks so much for that! 👍🏼👍🏼
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I’ve literally never used ‘literally’ in my spoken ramblings (and probably never used it in my writing either) – and now I NEVER will.
Oops, I literally used ‘literally’ correctly… or did I?
Seriously, good point as ‘literally’ joins ‘awful’ in having its meaning reversed over time.
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Loved this comment, gave me a chuckle 😂. Glad you enjoyed it, stay tuned for more!
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This is literally brilliant. Now if we could get rid of the overuse of technically. 🙂
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Thank you! And yes I agree 🙃
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I shared this with all my friends who have been using the word wrongly, this includes me as well. 😂
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lol that’s awesome! 😎
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We all have our pet peeves … Enjoyed the post 🙂
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Glad you liked it!
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I loved this! lol
Did you enjoy my grammar grins??
Thanks for the follow!
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Yes, and no problem!’
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Yay!
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Oh, Love this!
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Thank you! 😁
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I enjoyed this one. The commentary of language is sort of George Carlin-esque. Keep up the good work!
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Thank you I appreciate that!
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