actually

adverb

ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē 

-sh(ə-w)ə-lē;

ˈaksh-lē,

ˈaks-

1

: in act or in fact : really

trying to find out what actually happened

won't actually arrive for an hour

2

: in point of fact

—used to suggest something unexpected

was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German

Synonyms

• honestly
• frankly
• really
• indeed

Examples of actually in a Sentence

actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home

I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the individuals that are actually operating the fireworks, an important safety precaution to remember is to light the fireworks away from the body without projecting the face over the fire. —Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

In a statement to the Miami Herald, Perez rejected the notion that the Northeast Corridor dollars were actually at risk and warned the DeSantis administration against attempting to cut funding in the Miami area. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

What feels like a delay can actually be divine timing in disguise. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 July 2025

But actually everybody pulled together really quickly. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 1 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English actuelly, from actuel, actual actual + -ly -ly entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for actually

• contextually
• unusually
• dually

Kids Definition

actually

adverb

ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē 

ˈak-sh(ə-w)ə-lē

: in fact or in truth : really

she actually spoke Spanish

actually, I didn't want to go