literalize
/ˈlɪtərəlaɪz/
verb
- To interpret or represent something in a very exact, word-for-word way, without figurative or metaphorical meaning.
- When you literalize a metaphor, you often lose its deeper meaning.
- Children sometimes literalize adult expressions, like thinking 'it's raining cats and dogs' means animals are falling from the sky.
- The director chose to literalize the dream sequence by showing exactly what the character imagined.
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