So that people avoid becoming the butt of jokes, CollinsEnglishDictionary advises against using literally as an intensifier in formal or written contexts.
Ian Brookes, consultant editor at CollinsEnglishDictionary, agrees the figurative and metaphorical use of the word crept into the English language as an intensifier.
It first entered the CollinsEnglishdictionary in 2005 with the definition "the tense final stages of a league competition, especially from the point of view of the leaders".