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

Sometimes command is actually trying to do too much or trying to be too fine. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

But change is not possible without actually listening to one another with empathy, understanding and solidarity, even during disagreement. — Vriti Shah, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026

No, the story was actually written for a magazine that commissioned me to write a piece for them about lust. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 26 July 2026

After a little arithmetic, for example, less than 1% of Formula 1 fans are expected to actually attend a race. — Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 26 July 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

• dually
• contextually
• unusually

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