literalize
Take words literally
To literalize is to make something literal—to interpret or represent figuratively meant language as if it were concrete fact.
A director might literalize a metaphor by showing it on screen: if a character says my heart is breaking, the camera cuts to an actual cracking heart.
The word often carries a note of criticism, suggesting someone has missed the figurative point: He literalized the poem's imagery into clumsy special effects.
Make abstract things tangible
- materializeBecome physically present
- reifyTreat abstraction as concrete
- embodyExpress through physical form
- actualizeMake concrete or real
manifest · tangible · concrete · substantiate · objectify · physicalize · externalize · realize
In identical wording
- word-for-wordExactly as stated
- letter-perfectAccurate in every particular
- face-valueStated monetary amount
- textualOf written content
transcription · transliteration · exactitude · fidelity · faithfulness · accuracy · meticulousness · replication
Sacred religious writings
- inerrancyTotal freedom from mistakes
- creationismDivine origin doctrine
- orthodoxyAdherence to accepted beliefs
- dogmaUnchallengeable official beliefs
doctrinaire · canon · sectarianism · evangelism · absolutism · puritanism · zealotry · apologetics
Remove essential complexity
- reductiveOversimplifying complex matters
- flattenMake level or smooth
- one-dimensionalWithout depth or complexity
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
simplistic · narrow · rigid · inflexible · unsubtle · blunt · crude · mechanical
concretize
Make abstract things tangible
- materializeBecome physically present
- reifyTreat abstraction as concrete
- embodyExpress through physical form
actualize · manifest · tangible · concrete · substantiate · objectify · physicalize · externalize · realize · instantiate
verbatim
In identical wording
- word-for-wordExactly as stated
- letter-perfectAccurate in every particular
- face-valueStated monetary amount
textual · transcription · transliteration · exactitude · fidelity · faithfulness · accuracy · meticulousness · replication · reproduction
scripture
Sacred religious writings
- inerrancyTotal freedom from mistakes
- creationismDivine origin doctrine
- orthodoxyAdherence to accepted beliefs
dogma · doctrinaire · canon · sectarianism · evangelism · absolutism · puritanism · zealotry · apologetics · proselytism
oversimplify
Remove essential complexity
- reductiveOversimplifying complex matters
- flattenMake level or smooth
- one-dimensionalWithout depth or complexity
black-and-white · simplistic · narrow · rigid · inflexible · unsubtle · blunt · crude · mechanical
literalizeallegorize
Represent ideas through narrative
spiritualize · symbolize · abstract · poeticize · mystify
literalizeembellish
Add decorative elements
ornament · romanticize · imply · suggest
literalism, literalist, literalizing, literalized, literality, literalised, literalization