literalness

adjective

1. of, involving, or expressed by a letter or letters of the alphabet: literal notation
2. following or representing the exact words of the original; word-for-word: a literal translation
3. 1. based on the actual words in their ordinary meaning; not figurative or symbolic: the literal meaning of a passage
   2. giving the actual denotation of the word: said of the senses of words
   3. giving the original or earlier meaning of a word; etymological: the literal meaning of ponder is “to weigh”
4. 1. habitually interpreting statements or words according to their actual denotation; prosaic; matter-of-fact: a literal mind
   2. having a literal mind; lacking imagination
5. real; not going beyond the actual facts; accurate; unvarnished: the literal truth
6. being so in fact but not in name; virtual: the chairperson is a literal dictator

noun