Literally vs. Basically

Literallyadverb

(speech act) word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor

‘When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan.’;

Basicallyadverb

in a fundamental, essential or basic manner

‘They've added some fancy features, but it's basically still a car.’;

Literallyadverb

Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)

‘He was so surprised, he literally jumped twenty feet in the air.’;

Basicallyadverb

mostly; generally; for the most part

Literallyadverb

(colloquial) Used as a generic downtoner: just, merely.

‘You literally put it in the microwave for five minutes and it's done.’;

Basicallyadverb

used to refer to the most important or fundamental point the speaker is making

‘''I shouldn't have done it, basically.’;

Literallyadverb

According to the primary and natural import of words; not figuratively; as, a man and his wife can not be literally one flesh.

Basicallyadverb

at bottom or by one's (or its) very nature;

‘He is basically dishonest’; ‘the argument was essentially a technical one’; ‘for all his bluster he is in essence a shy person’;

Literallyadverb

With close adherence to words; word by word.

‘So wild and ungovernable a poet can not be translated literally.’;

Basicallyadverb

in the most essential respects; fundamentally

‘we started from a basically simple idea’;

Literallyadverb

in a literal sense;

‘literally translated’; ‘he said so literally’;

Basicallyadverb

used to indicate that a statement summarizes the most important aspects, or gives a roughly accurate account, of a more complex situation

‘I basically played the same thing every night’;

Literallyadverb

(intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration;

‘our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf war’;

Literallyadverb

in a literal manner or sense; exactly

‘the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the roundabout’; ‘tiramisu, literally translated ‘pull-me-up’’;

Literallyadverb

used for emphasis while not being literally true

‘I was literally blown away by the response I got’;