literalism
literalism Lexical Profile
literalism Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The interpretation of words, texts, or legal and religious doctrines in their exact, primary sense, without regard for figurative, metaphorical, or allegorical meaning.
"The scholar argued that strict biblical literalism overlooks the rich poetic metaphors used by ancient authors."
In literature and the visual arts, a style or principle of representation marked by exact, unembellished fidelity to outward appearance or fact.
"His early paintings were criticized for their dry literalism, though his later works embraced bold abstraction."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-19th century from the adjective 'literal' (from Late Latin litteralis, meaning 'of or belonging to letters or writing', derived from Latin littera, 'letter') combined with the suffix '-ism'.