(intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration
"our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf War"
word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor
"He literally copied every phrase from his friend's essay without changing a single word."
In plain English: Literally means something is actually happening exactly as stated, not just used for emphasis.
"I was literally running out of time to finish my assignment before class started."
Usage: Use literally only when describing something that happened exactly in the way stated, without any exaggeration. Avoid using it to emphasize a strong feeling if you mean "figuratively," which is often considered incorrect formal usage.
Literally comes from Middle English litteraly, which was formed by adding the suffix -ly to the word literal. It originally meant "in a way that relates to letters or written text" before evolving into its modern usage.