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Literalist: meaning, definitions and examples

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literalist

[ ˈlɪt(ə)rəlɪst ]

Noun

^{Context #1 | Noun}

person

A person who interprets words in their literal sense without taking into account any metaphorical or symbolic meaning.

Synonyms

letter-of-the-law person, literal-minded person.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
literalist	A person who interprets words in their most basic and direct sense without considering any figurative or hidden meanings. Often used in religious or legal contexts. He was a literalist when it came to following the rules of the game
literal-minded person	An individual who tends to think in concrete terms, focusing on the exact meaning of words. This can sometimes suggest lack of imagination or flexibility. He's so literal-minded that he doesn't understand sarcasm or jokes very well
letter-of-the-law person	Someone who strictly adheres to the written words of laws or rules, without considering the spirit or intent behind them. This term often carries a slightly negative connotation, implying inflexibility. As a letter-of-the-law person, she refused to grant an exception to the regulation, even though it seemed unfair

Word

Description / Examples

literalist

A person who interprets words in their most basic and direct sense without considering any figurative or hidden meanings. Often used in religious or legal contexts.

He was a literalist when it came to following the rules of the game

literal-minded person

An individual who tends to think in concrete terms, focusing on the exact meaning of words. This can sometimes suggest lack of imagination or flexibility.

He's so literal-minded that he doesn't understand sarcasm or jokes very well

letter-of-the-law person

Someone who strictly adheres to the written words of laws or rules, without considering the spirit or intent behind them. This term often carries a slightly negative connotation, implying inflexibility.

As a letter-of-the-law person, she refused to grant an exception to the regulation, even though it seemed unfair

Examples of usage

He is a literalist who always follows the exact words of the law.
The literalist insisted on reading the text word for word without any interpretation.

Translations

Translations of the word "literalist" in other languages:

🇵🇹 literalista

🇮🇳 शाब्दिकतावादी

🇩🇪 Literalist

🇮🇩 literal

🇺🇦 буквалізм

🇵🇱 literalista

🇯🇵 文字通りの人 (moji doori no hito)

🇫🇷 littéraliste

🇪🇸 literalista

🇹🇷 literalist

🇰🇷 문자주의자 (munja juui ja)

🇸🇦 حرفي (harfi)

🇨🇿 literalista

🇸🇰 literalista

🇨🇳 字面主义者 (zìmiàn zhǔyì zhě)

🇸🇮 literalist

🇮🇸 bókstafstrúarmaður

🇰🇿 сөзбе-сөз (sozbe-soz)

🇬🇪 ლიტერალისტი (literalisti)

🇦🇿 literalist

🇲🇽 literalista

Etymology

The term 'literalist' originated from the word 'literal', which comes from the Middle English 'literal', from the Old French 'literel' and from the Late Latin 'literalis', meaning 'of or relating to letters'. The suffix '-ist' is used to denote a person who practices or is concerned with a particular thing, in this case, interpreting words literally.