French Conversation · Level 30
89 words
French word
littéralement
Pronunciation
IPA/liteʁaləmɑ̃/
Meaning
- adverbliterally
Example
Il a littéralement sauté de joie.
He literally jumped for joy.
More examples
Il a littéralement tout perdu.
He literally lost everything.
Core concept
Words and reality line up exactly, with no figurative layer.
Common phrases
littéralement sauter de joie
literally jump for joy
littéralement tout perdre
literally lose everything
Similar words
mot pour mot: Shows that each word is taken exactly as stated.
au sens propre: Indicates that a word has its direct, nonfigurative meaning.
vraiment: Shows that something is genuinely or truly the case.
Definition in French
Signifie que quelque chose se passe exactement comme l'expression le décrit, sans image ni exagération.
Word origin
French littéralement derives from littéral, from Latin litteralis 'of letters', based on littera 'letter', with -ment forming the adverb.
Usage tips
- In careful French, littéralement normally signals literal fact, whereas informal English literally often intensifies an exaggerated statement.
Other meanings
- reallyadverb
Opposites
- métaphoriquementmetaphoricallyadverb
Related words
- littéralliteraladjective