Phrase guide

not really

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adv

Meaning 1

To a low degree, not particularly, not especially.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I’m not really hungry now, so let’s have dinner later.
  • A: Are you hungry yet? B: Not really.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Not actually (a hypothetical will not, in fact, come to pass), often rhetorical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • You’re not really going to marry him, are you?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: ikke rigtig — to a low degree
  • Danish: egentlig ikke — to a low degree
  • Dutch: niet echt — to a low degree
  • French: pas vraiment — to a low degree
  • Hungarian: nem igazán — to a low degree
  • Polish: niezbyt — to a low degree
  • Polish: nie bardzo — to a low degree
  • Russian: не о́чень (ne óčenʹ) — to a low degree
  • Russian: не сли́шком-то (ne slíškom-to) — to a low degree