adverb

1. Word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor

   “When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan.”

2. (degree, contranym) Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)

   “He was so surprised, he literally jumped twenty feet in the air.”

3. Used to intensify or dramatise non-figurative statements; tending towards a meaningless filler word in repeated use.

   “I had no idea, so I was literally guessing.”

Synonyms: actually, really, merely, virtually