literal thinking
Words mean exactly
Literal thinking is understanding language and situations at face value, without reading between the lines or grasping implied meanings.
Someone thinking literally interprets I could eat a horse as a statement about consuming an animal rather than extreme hunger.
The term often describes a cognitive style associated with autism spectrum conditions or appears in contrast to abstract or figurative thinking.
He takes everything literally—sarcasm goes right over his head.
- concreteSolid building mixture
- rigidUnable to bend
- exactPerfectly correct, no deviation
- preciseExactly correct, no error
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
cut and dried · inflexible · direct · factual · word-for-word · explicit · by the book · unimaginative · reading between lines · figure of speech · straightforward · pedantic · narrow · strict · logical · analytical · systematic · structured
- Neurodiversityautism spectrum, ASD, neurodivergence, neurotypical, spectrum
- accommodationsextra time, double time, time and a half, breaks, rest breaks
literal thinkingreading between the lines
abstract thinking · lateral thinking · poetic interpretation
literal thinkingflexible thinking
Ability to shift perspectives
divergent thinking · intuitive thinking · creative thinking · abstract reasoning · fluid intelligence
literal, literally, literalness, literalism, literalist, literate, literacy, illiterate, illiteracy