Literal vs. Literature

Literaladjective

Exactly as stated; read or understood without additional interpretation; according to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical.

Literaladjective

Following the letter or exact words; not free; not taking liberties.

Literaladjective

(uncommon) Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.

Literaladjective

(of a person) Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact.

Literaladjective

(proscribed) Used non-literally as an intensifier; see literally for usage notes.

Literalnoun

A misprint (or occasionally a scribal error) that affects a letter.

Literalnoun

(programming) A value, as opposed to an identifier, written into the source code of a computer program.

Literalnoun

(logic) A propositional variable or the negation of a propositional variable. Wp

Literaladjective

According to the letter or verbal expression; real; not figurative or metaphorical; as, the literal meaning of a phrase.

Literaladjective

Following the letter or exact words; not free.

Literaladjective

Consisting of, or expressed by, letters.

Literaladjective

Giving a strict or literal construction; unimaginative; matter-of-fact; - applied to persons.

Literalnoun

Literal meaning.

Literalnoun

a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures of some kind

Literaladjective

being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something;

Literaladjective

without interpretation or embellishment;

Literaladjective

limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text;

Literaladjective

lacking stylistic embellishment;

Literaladjective

of the clearest kind; usually used for emphasis;

Literaladjective

(of a translation) corresponding word for word with the original;

Literaturenoun

The body of all written works.

Literaturenoun

The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture.

Literaturenoun

All the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.

Literaturenoun

Written fiction of a high standard.

Literaturenoun

Learning; acquaintance with letters or books.

Literaturenoun

The collective body of literary productions, embracing the entire results of knowledge and fancy preserved in writing; also, the whole body of literary productions or writings upon a given subject, or in reference to a particular science or branch of knowledge, or of a given country or period; as, the literature of Biblical criticism; the literature of chemistry.

Literaturenoun

The class of writings distinguished for beauty of style or expression, as poetry, essays, or history, in distinction from scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge; belles-lettres.

Literaturenoun

The occupation, profession, or business of doing literary work.

Literaturenoun

creative writing of recognized artistic value

Literaturenoun

the humanistic study of a body of literature;

Literaturenoun

published writings in a particular style on a particular subject;

Literaturenoun

the profession or art of a writer;

Literaturenoun

written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit

Literaturenoun

books and writings published on a particular subject

Literaturenoun

leaflets and other printed matter used to advertise products or give advice

Literature

Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed.