English teachers cringe daily when they hear the seemingly ubiquitous use of the word, “literally” in our daily lexicon. “I was literally dying of laughter.” Really? “It was literally raining cats and dogs.” Have you been drinking?
People misuse the word “literally” for a number of reasons. For some, it’s a lack of understanding; they do not fully understand the meaning of “literally.” Other people use it for emphasis, incorrectly of course. And still, others use it humorously (But remember, most English teachers are not that humorous).
ThinkFives is using this post to educate and to vent. The misuse is literally driving us crazy.
We Really Mean “Figuratively”
In this case, we are using a phrase to color our description and it is not to be taken literally. What we really should be saying is “figuratively.”
Examples of Misuse
- “I was so cold; I could literally see my breath.” (not actually seeing breath)
- “I was so angry; I literally saw red.” (not actually seeing red)
- “I was so confused, I felt like I was literally lost in a maze.” (not actually lost in a maze)
- “I was so happy, I felt like I was literally walking on sunshine.” (not actually walking on sunshine)
- “I was so shocked, I felt like I was literally struck by lightning.” (not actually struck by lightning)
We Were Exaggerating
In this case, we are using a phrase to exaggerate the situation and we did not mean for it to be taken literally. We should be using words like “nearly” or “almost.”
Examples of Misuse
- “I literally died of embarrassment when I tripped in front of everyone.” (not actually dying)
- “I was so scared, I literally had a heart attack.” (not actually having a heart attack)
- “I was so hungry, I could have eaten an elephant, literally.” (not actually eating an elephant)
- “I was so happy, I literally jumped for joy.” (not actually jumping for joy)
- “I was so tired, I literally slept like a log.” (not actually sleeping like a log)
We Meant the Opposite
In this case, we are using a phrase to actually mean the opposite. Again, we should be using words like “nearly” or “almost.”
Examples of Misuse
- “I was so relaxed, I was literally falling asleep standing up.” (not actually falling asleep standing)
- “I was so hungry, I was literally starving to death.” (not actually starving to death)
- “I was so scared, I was literally petrified.” (not actually petrified)
- “I was so full, I was literally bursting at the seams.” (not actually bursting at the seams)
- “I was so cold, I was literally turning into an ice cube.” (not actually turning into an ice cube)
We Really Mean Virtually
In this case, we are using a phrase to relate a feeling to a more extreme action. We should be using words like “virtually.”
Examples of Misuse
- “I was so lost, I was literally running in circles.” (not actually running in circles)
- “I was so busy, I was literally running in circles.” (not actually running in circles)
- “I was so hungry, I was literally eating my own arm.” (not actually eating own arm)
- “I was so hot, I was literally on fire.” (not actually on fire)
- “I was so tired, I was literally falling asleep on my feet.” (not actually falling asleep standing up)
When It is Unnecessary
In this case, we believe the word adds emphasis or amazement but it is unnecessary. In all the examples below, the meaning is the same with or without the word “literally.”
Examples of Misuse
- “She literally ran a marathon in under three hours.” (she ran it)
- “He was so hungry, he ate a whole pizza by himself, literally.” (he ate it)
- “The storm was so intense, it literally shook the windows of our house.” (it shook)
- “The sunset was so beautiful, it was like a painting, literally.” (it was beautiful)
- “I was so engrossed, I literally watched the entire series.” (you did watch it)
Bonus Thought
Are there times when the word “literally” is the right word choice? Literally, there are only a few and that is mostly when the event could be interpreted figuratively, and you want to make sure it is interpreted literally.
For example:
“It was so hungry, I literally ate my arm.” (Use this when you mean you did eat your arm. No judgments.)
Have you seen the word “literally” misused?
🤣🤣 I literally use this word wrong all the time! 🤣🤣
These are hysterical and I KNOW I am ✨LITERALLY ✨guilty of using this word wrong as well! 😂😂