Word parts literal + -ly Pronunciation (UK) IPA (key): ˈlɪt(ə)rəli (US) IPA (key): ˈlitərəlē IPA (key): ˈlitrəlē Audio (US)(file) Hyphenation: lit‧er‧al‧ly Adverb Positive literally Comparative none Superlative none If something happens literally, it happens exactly as it was said. When I found out that the company would hire me, I literally jumped for joy. In fact, I hit my head on the ceiling. Related words literal Wikiwand - on Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.