literalize
/'litərəlaiz/ Cách viết khác : (literalise) /'litərəlaiz/
Definition
- Verb:
- To make literal: To interpret or represent something (especially figurative language) in a strictly factual, non-figurative, or concrete way.
- To express in a literal manner: To translate a metaphor, allegory, or symbolic idea into plain, direct language that adheres to the primary meaning of the words.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- The director's choice to literalize the metaphor of a "broken heart" with an actual cracking sound was very effective.
- When you literalize the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs," you imagine pets falling from the sky, which is absurd.
- Some religious texts can be challenging; one must decide when to interpret symbolically and when to literalize.
Advanced Usage
- In literary criticism: The act of "literalizing" is often discussed as a reductionist or simplistic approach to understanding complex, artistic language.
- The critic argued that to literalize the poet's symbols is to miss their deeper emotional resonance.
- In translation and adaptation: Refers to making an abstract concept concrete in a new medium.
- The film adaptation struggled because it tried to literalize the novel's internal monologues.
Variants and Related Words
- Literalization (n): The process or result of making something literal.
- The literalization of the dream sequence confused the audience.
- Literal (adj): Taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory.
- He has a very literal mind.
- Literalism (n): The interpretation of words in their literal sense; adherence to the explicit meaning.
- Biblical literalism can lead to debates about scientific accuracy.
Synonyms
- Concretize: To make concrete or specific.
- Actualize: To make actual or real.
Related Phrases
- To take something literally: To interpret words in their most basic, factual sense, similar to but less formal than "literalize."
- You shouldn't take everything he says literally; he loves to exaggerate.
Verb
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make literal
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literalize metaphors
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