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 of actually

• 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

There are actually a few bird feeders set up outside so the birds at Ernie Miller can see them through windows or through their enclosures. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026

Imagine that happens in policy to actually affect everyday people. —Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026

During an appearance on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware in January 2024, the actress revealed that the pair actually met when they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, music executive Marc Robinson. —Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026

Or perhaps the kill shot actually came in Week 1, when Brock Purdy picked up a nagging turf-toe injury that refused to properly heal for 10 weeks. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026

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