not really

idiom

used to say "no" in a way that is not very forceful or definite
"Was the movie good?" "Not really."
"Do you want to go to a movie?" "No, not really."

Examples of not really in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Although not really a surprise danger, hurricane‐force winds – 74 mph or more – can destroy buildings and mobile homes, the hurricane center warned. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024 His daddy issues, as the film presents them, won’t explain it (not really). Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2024 Vionnet is another designer who is not really designing anymore but Zoe used to wear them a lot. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024 Make no mistake, there’s not really such a thing as a bad jerkbait, per se. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024 There’s usually pomp and circumstance [in royal couplings] but that’s not really what was there. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2024 Somebody who is not really worried about what he or she’s got to say about me. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024 But while this beef has crossed over into pop culture, the reality is the feud was strictly for hip-hop culture and not really anyone else. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 7 May 2024 So people on your team are trying to strap you down… No, no, not really. Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'not really.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near not really

Cite this Entry

“Not really.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20really. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

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