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English
Etymology
From literalist + -ic.
Adjective
literalistic (comparative more literalistic, superlative most literalistic)
- (loosely) Of or pertaining to literalism or literalists.
2008 May 23, Neela Banerjee, “McCain Cuts Ties to Pastors Whose Talks Drew Fire”, in New York Times:Mr. Hagee’s views flow out of his adherence to what is known in evangelical circles as premillennial dispensationalism, a literalistic approach to biblical prophecy that places a special emphasis on the role of the nation of Israel in the end of history.
- (specifically, and most commonly) Using a method of interpretation regarded as woodenly, inflexibly, or simplistically literal in its perceived neglect of such considerations as context, genre, and intent of the author or artist; overliteral.
2014 August 20, Kevin Vanhoozer, Is There a Meaning in this Text?:It is most important to distinguish literalistic from literal interpretation. The former generates an unlettered, ultimately illiterate reading—one that is incapable of recognizing less obvious uses of language such as metaphor, satire, and so forth. ... Interpreters err either when they allegorize discourse that is intended to be taken literally or when they "literalize" discourse that is intended to be taken figuratively.
Derived terms