What does literalize mean?
Literalize means to interpret or represent something literally. It is especially used when figurative language—such as a metaphor, hyperbole, or broad metaphor—is treated as a precise statement rather than as an imaginative expression. The verb can also describe turning an abstract concept into concrete or explicit language, although that use is less central. It is more than simply an alternative spelling of “make literal”: the word often implies an analytical act of conversion or interpretation, and it may suggest that the result is too literal or awkward. In literary analysis, translators, and commentary, literalize is useful for describing what happens when the figurative force of language is reduced to a literal meaning. In everyday use, it is more common in criticism and discussion than in neutral description.
verbTo interpret something literally or represent it in literal terms, especially by treating figurative language as a precise statement or by making an abstract idea concrete.
- To interpret or render something literally, especially by converting figurative or abstract language into an explicit, concrete, or literal form.
"The translator carefully avoided literalizing metaphors that would sound unnatural in English."
"The editor literalized the slogan and turned a broad marketing claim into a narrow factual statement."
"Readers should not literalize the poem's imagery, since its metaphors depend on a different kind of comparison."
Literalize is the verb for making language do exactly what it says, whether or not that is what the writer intended.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does literalize come from?
The verb was formed in English by combining literal with the suffix -ize. The adjective literal comes through French from Latin literalis, a word associated with littera, “letter” or “written character,” and originally referred to things expressed according to the letter of the text. The development of literalize followed the broader English history of literal, moving from the idea of adhering to written wording toward the modern sense of interpreting language according to its explicit meaning.
Related word forms
How literalize is actually used
The word is relatively uncommon and often carries a critical or analytical tone, suggesting that figurative language has been treated too literally. The British spelling is usually literalise; the unstressed final syllable is normally pronounced -ize, as in /laɪz/.