1
- taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory按字面常用（或最基本）意义理解的; 非比喻（或引申意义）的：
dreadful in its literal sense, full of dread.
真的很可怕, 可怕极了。
1.1
- free from exaggeration or distortion如实的, 不夸张的; 不歪曲的：
you shouldn't take this as a literal record of events.
你不该把它当成对事情的如实记录。
1.2
- informal absolute (used to emphasize that a strong expression is deliberately chosen to convey one's feelings)〈非正式〉［用以引出表达强烈感情的用语］完全的, 简直就是的：
fifteen years of literal hell.
简直就像地狱般的15年。
2
- (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text逐字（翻译）的, 直译的。
2.1
- (of a visual representation) exactly copied; realistic as opposed to abstract or impressionistic（图像）完全照原样临摹的, 写实的。
3
- （亦作literal-minded）(of a person or performance) lacking imagination; prosaic（人, 表现）没有想象力的, 平庸的。
4
- of, in, or expressed by a letter or the letters of the alphabet（用）字母（表示）的：
literal mnemonics.
字母助记法。
- Printing, Brit.a misprint of a letter.【印刷】〈英〉误印。
派生词
literality
nounliteralize
（亦作-ise）verbliteralness
noun词源
late Middle English: from Old French, or from late Latin litteralis, from Latin littera （see LETTER）.