It’s the most infuriatingly common misuse and overuse of a word I hear from my millennial (description, not judgment) kids, and on news broadcasts and talk shows, and in conversations I overhear on the sidewalk, in the park, at a restaurant, in the elevator, and in a dozen other public places.
“Literally!”
How did that word become an overblown necessity of the English language, whether used correctly or not, in so many comments, quips, and so many stories, speeches and diatribes? To English speakers, is there something particularly satisfying in letting a word ending in “ly” roll off the roof of the mouth and then the tongue, especially since “literally” has a bonus “l?” More importantly (another “ly”), can we please stop its gratingly annoying proliferation?
With few exceptions, when I hear the word “literally,” it is unnecessary embellishment to convey the meaning of what is being said, or the meaning of what is being said is the opposite of “literally.”
I can assure you that the Internet has never “literally” been on fire, even when Malala was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And no matter how bad a decision the management of the Green Bay Packers has made, the team has never “literally” gone off a cliff. And, no, your buddy did not “literally” go down a rabbit hole, well, maybe if his name is Peter Cottontail.
“Literally,” as best as I can define it, means “actually,” as in the exact act happened, in truth, in reality, not symbolically, not metaphorically. So, please, folks, stop the madness! If you literally don’t mean it, don’t actually say it.
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