not really

phrase

—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

Wilson is not really acting so much as doing shtick, but as Tassie starts listening to the girls’ stories, she’s inspired to take her mentorship role more seriously. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Justin Ellis, 19, is creating (though not really scoring) goals in Orlando. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Before that day, Americans could not really conceive of an attack like this one — passenger planes slammed into high-rise buildings, the Pentagon, a Pennsylvania field in the deadliest act of coordinated violence this nation has ever seen. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

That was the scariest moment, not really knowing what was coming next and unable to do anything about it but wait and listen to the news. — Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for not really

• ideally
• lapilli
• swahili
• freely
• keeley
• mealy
• seely
• steely
• vilely
• intraperitoneally
• kiswahili
• microvilli