Revised as of
18 Nov 2022
This word confusion figuratively and literally are the opposite of each other. The former means not exact while the latter does mean exactly that. So if someone says “kill me, just kill me now”, don’t take it literally!
Of course, we’ve all seen examples of using literally for effect: “They bought the car and literally ran it into the ground” or “we were literally killing ourselves laughing”.
And how many times have you begged someone to stop cracking jokes lest you pee your pants laughing. Now that’s one that could be figurative or literal!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Figuratively | Literally |
|---|---|
La Vendange is courtesy of Kathy Davie and The Eye’s Delight. — Figuratively, this fiber art piece is typical of Kathy’s representational style. |
Firenze, Ponte Vecchio is Aldo Ardetti’s own work under the GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Ponte Vecchio sounds so romantic, and yet literally, it means “old bridge”. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverb | Adverb |
| A figurative statement is symbolically, metaphorically true
Used to indicate a departure from a literal use of words
In a style representing forms that are recognizably derived from life |
A literal statement is actually, physically true with no exaggeration
In a literal manner or sense
|
| Examples: | |
| Jane figuratively fell out of her chair when she heard John’s surprising comments.
We left a lot of people literally and figuratively in the dark. I did bump into — figuratively speaking — quite a few interesting people. Chinese art influenced her to paint figuratively. |
The driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle.
If you translate tiramisu literally, it means pick me up. I have received literally thousands of letters. Jane literally fell out of her chair and bruised her ankle. I told him I never wanted to see him again, but I didn’t expect him to take it literally. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: figurative Noun: figurativeness, figure Verb: figure |
Adjective: literal Noun: literality, literalness Verb: literalize |
| History of the Word: | |
| Middle English from the late Latin figurativus, which is from figurare meaning to form or fashion, from figura. | Late Middle English from the Old French or from the late Latin litteralis, which is from the Latin littera. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Figuratively versus Literally
Apple Dictionary.com
Pinterest Photo Credits:
A Calvin & Hobbes’ cartoon, How’s Your Book”, by Bill Waterston © 1992, via Arnold Zwicky’s blog, <http://www.calvinandhobbes.com/comic-art>.
