literal

Literal is an adjective and noun used across disciplines to denote the most basic, exact, or primary sense of a word, symbol, or expression, without metaphor or embellishment. The term comes from Latin literalis, from litera, letter, reflecting the idea of taking things at their “letter” value rather than a figurative meaning.

In everyday language, interpreting something literally means understanding it at face value. For example, if someone says the project is a “cakewalk,” a literal interpretation would treat it as an easy task, whereas a figurative reading recognizes it as an idiom that may imply the opposite. In linguistics and semiotics, literal meaning contrasts with connotation, implicature, or context-dependent interpretation, which can modify or extend the basic sense.

In literature and rhetoric, authors may employ nonliteral language—metaphor, irony, hyperbole, or metonymy—to convey effects beyond the literal level. Distinguishing literal from nonliteral usage aids analysis, translation, and critique, and it helps readers assess intent and tone.

In computing and data representation, a literal refers to a value written exactly as it appears in source code or data, not the value it might imply. Examples include numeric literals such as 42, string literals like "Hello," and boolean literals such as true. Many languages support different literal types and may use syntax such as quotation marks for strings or prefixes for numeric bases.

In logic and formal sciences, a literal is an occurrence of an atomic proposition or its negation, used in representations of formulas and in satisfiability problems.