How do you use "Literally" in a sentence?

I literally cannot deal with this day right now. That pizza was literally the best thing I've ever eaten. She was literally on fire during the presentation — everyone was impressed.

Literally

American Slang Term American ★★★★★ Very Common Casual

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Meaning: Used as an intensifier meaning 'really' or 'absolutely,' often when something is not literal at all.

用作强调语气词，意为'真的''绝对'，通常实际上并非字面意思。

Usado como intensificador con el significado de 'de verdad' o 'totalmente', a menudo cuando algo no es literal en absoluto.

「本当に」「マジで」という強調語として使われ、実際には文字通りでないことが多い。

'정말로' 또는 '완전히'라는 의미의 강조어로 사용되며, 실제로는 문자 그대로가 아닌 경우가 많다.

Millennials transformed 'literally' from its strict dictionary meaning into a general-purpose intensifier. 'I literally died' (you didn't), 'I'm literally starving' (you're just hungry), 'That is literally the best thing ever' (it's just good). Linguists call this a 'contronym' — the word now means both itself and its opposite.

千禧一代把'literally'从严格的字面含义变成了一个通用强调词。'I literally died'（你并没有死）、'I'm literally starving'（你只是饿了）、'That is literally the best thing ever'（只是挺好的）。语言学家称之为'自相矛盾词'——这个词现在既表示本义又表示相反的意思。

Los millennials transformaron 'literally' de su significado estricto de diccionario en un intensificador de uso general. 'Literalmente me morí' (no te moriste), 'literalmente me muero de hambre' (solo tienes hambre), 'eso es literalmente lo mejor del mundo' (simplemente está bien). Los lingüistas lo llaman un 'contrónimo': la palabra ahora significa tanto sí misma como su opuesto.

ミレニアル世代は「literally」を辞書通りの意味から汎用的な強調語へと変えた。「I literally died（マジで死んだ）」（死んでない）、「I'm literally starving（マジで飢えてる）」（ただのお腹空き）、「That is literally the best thing ever（マジで史上最高）」（ただ良いだけ）。言語学者はこれを「逆義語」と呼ぶ——この単語は今や本来の意味とその正反対の両方を意味する。

밀레니얼 세대가 'literally'를 엄밀한 사전적 의미에서 범용 강조어로 변신시켰다. 'I literally died(진짜 죽었어)' (죽지 않았다), 'I'm literally starving(진짜 굶어 죽겠어)' (그냥 배가 고플 뿐), 'That is literally the best thing ever(그건 진짜 역대 최고야)' (그냥 좋을 뿐). 언어학자들은 이것을 '자가 반의어'라고 부른다——이 단어가 이제 자신의 의미와 그 반대 의미를 모두 지니게 된 것이다.

Examples

I literally cannot deal with this day right now.
我真的没法应付今天了。
Literalmente no puedo con este día ahora mismo.
マジで今日もう無理。
진짜 오늘 더 이상은 못 하겠어.
That pizza was literally the best thing I've ever eaten.
那个披萨真的是我这辈子吃过最好吃的。
Esa pizza ha sido literalmente lo mejor que he comido en mi vida.
あのピザは人生で食べた中でマジで一番美味しかった。
그 피자 진짜 내 인생 최고로 맛있었어.
She was literally on fire during the presentation — everyone was impressed.
她在演讲时真的太出彩了——所有人都印象深刻。
Literalmente estaba que se salía durante la presentación — todo el mundo quedó impresionado.
プレゼン中の彼女はマジで輝いてた——みんな感動してたよ。
프레젠테이션 때 걔 진짜 빛나고 있었어——다들 감동받았어.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: casual conversation, texting, social media

Tone: emphatic, dramatic

✓ Do Say

I'm literally so tired.
我是真的好累。
Literalmente estoy agotadísimo.
マジで疲れた。
진짜 너무 피곤해.
That movie was literally amazing.
那部电影真的太棒了。
Esa película ha sido literalmente increíble.
あの映画マジで最高だった。
그 영화 진짜 대박이었어.

✗ Don't Say

Grammar purists may correct you — be prepared for 'well, not LITERALLY' responses
语法纯粹主义者可能会纠正你——要做好被回'严格来说并不是literally'的心理准备
Los puristas de la gramática te pueden corregir — prepárate para respuestas tipo 'bueno, no LITERALMENTE'
文法にうるさい人に指摘されるかもしれない——「いや、文字通りじゃないでしょ」という返しに備えておくこと
문법 순수주의자들이 지적할 수 있다——'글쎄, 문자 그대로는 아니잖아' 같은 반응에 대비할 것

Origin & History

While 'literally' as an intensifier dates back centuries (even Charles Dickens used it this way), millennials popularized its widespread non-literal usage. The trend became so prevalent that dictionaries updated the definition to include the informal intensifier meaning.

Cultural Context

Era: 2010s peak usage

Generation: Millennials

Social background: Universal