According to the dictionary, “literally” now also means “figuratively”
Thanks in part to the overuse of “literally,” Merriam-Webster says the word can now mean its exact opposite. Huh?
Source: www.salon.com/2013/08/22/according_to_the_dictionary_literally_now_also_means_figuratively_newscred/
Dictionaries don’t define what words mean. People do. If enough people use a word in a different way, the meaning changes. There is no one authority on what words mean. I think some people get far to upset over things like this. Words change meanings all the time. It’s just a fact of life.
When someone says “I literally could eat a horse”, everyone knows what they mean. They know they wouldn’t be able to eat a horse and everyone else does too. Anyone with a complaint about this is simply not aware of how language works.
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