Literally means exactly, in a strict sense, or to the letter. When literally is used to mean very, completely, or actually, it creates problems. Writers who use literally this way actually mean the opposite. Consider this example:

Boyle literally plants you within the film and gets you involved in Ralston’s life as though it was your own. [Outlook India]

If this were true, then 127 Hours director Danny Boyle would actually furrow the soil of his film and plant us like seeds in the dirt, and then we would become fused with Ralston in a real sense, not just as filmgoers. Obviously, this is not literally possible. This writer means figuratively—i.e., metaphorically—rather than literally.

Just for fun, let’s look at a couple more examples of questionable literally use:

But the Cougars had to hit the road, literally, this season. [STL Today]

The 6-foot-3-inch senior forward can literally do anything he wants on the court. [Patch]

These writers use literally well:

Lisa Paul literally counts every dime when it comes to buying groceries to feed her seven kids. [The Globe and Mail]

Flights were cancelled, highways were impassable, and people were literally trapped inside their homes. [YU Observer]

And these writers use figuratively well:

Katie Deal will bring Patsy Cline back to life, figuratively, of course, at the Mellow Theater in Scranton on Sunday. [Wilkes Barre Times-Leader]

Figuratively speaking, the ball did not bounce the Lady Mustangs’ way last week. [Plain Dealer]