illiteral C2+ Topic:Communication US /ɪˈlɪtərəl/ UK /ɪˈlɪtərəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj not literal; figurative or contrary to the letter Her illiteral reading of the law stretched its meaning. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not literal; figurative or... figurativenonliteralmetaphorical ↔ Opposites literal Word family Related forms literalletter Etymology AI details From in- ('not') + literal, from Latin litteralis ('of letters'), from littera ('letter'). A rare term meaning 'not literal'. litteralis la-lat littera Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Communication Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # illiteral **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ɪˈlɪtərəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪˈlɪtərəl/ ## Meanings 1. not literal; figurative or contrary to the letter ## Examples - Her illiteral reading of the law stretched its meaning. ## Synonyms - figurative - nonliteral - metaphorical ## Antonyms - literal ## Related Forms - literal - letter ## Roots and Affixes - Root: litteralis - Root: littera ## Etymology From in- ('not') + literal, from Latin litteralis ('of letters'), from littera ('letter'). A rare term meaning 'not literal'. ## AI Etymology illiteral comes from in- ('not') + literal, from Latin litteralis ('of letters'), from littera ('letter'). A rare term meaning 'not literal'. Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "not literal; figurative or contrary to the letter", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as literal and letter. Its semantic neighborhood includes figurative, nonliteral, and metaphorical, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin litteralis and Latin littera. ## Topics - Communication - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown