different between literally vs technically
literally
English
Alternative forms
- lit. (abbreviation)
- litterally (obsolete)
Etymology
From literal +? -ly.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?l?t???li/, /?l?t??li/, (colloquial) /?l?t??li/
- (US) IPA(key): /?l?t???li/, [?l?.??.?.li]
Adverb
literally (comparative more literally, superlative most literally)
- word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor
- Synonyms: actually, really; see also Thesaurus:actually
- Antonyms: figuratively, metaphorically, virtually
- (degree, figuratively, proscribed, contranym) Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)
- Synonym: virtually
- 1993, Wayne W. Dyer, Real Magic, page 193:
- You literally become the ball in a tennis match, you become the report that you are working on […]
- 2017, New Straits Times (Malaysia) 22 April, page 20:
- [O]ne can assume that the millions or billions of ringgit spent on the war against drugs have gone down the drain, literally.
- (colloquial) Used to intensify or dramatize non-figurative statements.
- (colloquial) Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.
- Synonyms: merely; see also Thesaurus:merely
Usage notes
Literally is the opposite of figuratively and many authorities object to the use of literally as an intensifier for figurative statements. For example “you literally become the ball”, without any figurative sense, means actually transforming into a spherical object, which is clearly impossible. Rather, the speaker is using literally as an intensifier, to indicate that the metaphor is to be understood in the strongest possible sense. This type of usage is common in informal speech (“she was literally in floods of tears”) and is attested since 1769.
Translations
literally From the web:
- what literally means
- what literally fueled the industrial revolution
- what literally is the valley of the ashes
- what literally is the white man’s burden
- what literary device
- what literally happened
- what literally happened in the bee movie
- what literary work contains this woodcut
technically
English
Etymology
technical +? -ly
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?t?kn?k?li/, /?t?kn?kli/
Adverb
technically (comparative more technically, superlative most technically)
- Based on precise facts, which however may be misleading or incomplete.
- Technically he was Canadian, but everyone assumed he was American.
- Having or using the skills or talent required for a certain job or profession.
- Although she is technically gifted, her piano playing lacks passion.
- According to the current state of technology.
- For now, it is technically impossible to have a manned flight to Mercury.
Translations
technically From the web:
- what technically means
- what technically is a fever
- what technically breaks a fast
- what technically makes a bedroom
- what technically happened at chernobyl
- what technically makes a house a mansion
- what technically makes you an alcoholic
- what technically was your role in the project
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