Meaning
literally
- in a literal manner or sense; word for word
- used for emphasis to intensify a statement, even if figurative
In a sentence
Ha tradotto la poesia letteralmente dal francese all'italiano.
He translated the poem literally from French into Italian.
Dopo la maratona ero letteralmente distrutto dalla stanchezza.
After the marathon I was literally exhausted.
Non dovresti prendere le sue battute così letteralmente.
You shouldn't take his jokes so literally.
Usage notes
- Formed from the adjective 'letterale' plus '-mente'.
- Like in English, modern informal usage often employs it hyperbolically for non-literal situations.