Literally can accompany exaggerationSourced
Not region-specific · English meaning
The emphatic use is recorded in dictionaries
English literally normally signals a literal sense, but dictionaries also record its use to acknowledge nonliteral exaggeration while expressing strong feeling. In that context, the word intensifies an utterance rather than turning it into a factual report.
A literal-sounding signal can perform a nonliteral job.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Hyperbole · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05