[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Kavvy

Except the definition was changed. Meaning, by merriam webster own definition, the those people are actually correct in their use:




Now if you're an Oxford fan, of course this means nothing.

Of course we use Oxford.

In recent years an extended use of literally (and also literal) has become very common, where literally (or literal) is used deliberately in non-literal contexts, for added effect, as in ‘they bought the car and literally ran it into the ground’. This use can lead to unintentional humorous effects ( ‘we were literally killing ourselves laughing’) and is not acceptable in formal contexts, though it is widespread.