really

adverb

re·​al·​ly ˈrē-(ə-)lē 

1

a

: in reality : actually

things as they really are

there was nothing peculiar about her doing this, really

—Peter Taylor

b

: truly, unquestionably

—used as an intensifier

a really beautiful day

c

: very sense 1

look really close

he runs really fast

2

—used to emphasize an assertion

you really should read Yeats

really, you're being ridiculous

Synonyms of really

• very
• actually
• truly

Examples of really in a Sentence

The dog runs really fast.

The water is really hot.

She's a really nice person.

I had a really good time at the party.

Recent Examples on the Web

Things got really tight when, 45 seconds later, Jonathan Aspirot took an interference penalty. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026

Can severe weather really cause exploding trees? —Melina Khan, USA Today, 23 Jan. 2026

Meanwhile, on the western side of that coastal front, temperatures are frigid and the fluff factor really kicks in. —Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

The national project of maintaining the white nuclear family, which has really been taken up in the 1940s as a way for certain political groups to organize, is able to find a lot of historical references in Minnesota that fit that narrative. —Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing really

• not really

Rhymes for really

• bacilli
• tranquilly
• billie
• billy
• chilli
• chilly
• dilly
• filly
• frilly
• gillie
• gilly
• hilly

Kids Definition

really

adverb

re·​al·​ly ˈrē-(ə-)lē 

ˈri(-ə)l-ē

1

: in actual fact : actually

didn't really mean it

2

: without question : truly

a really beautiful day

3

: very entry 2 sense 2

look really close

he runs really fast

4

: to be honest : frankly