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

That song was actually composed by someone from Street Mob from Ensenada. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026

Amanda never actually had cancer. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026

Great trivia questions also have a bit of misdirection, leading you down a logical path that’s actually a dead end. —Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 12 May 2026

Instead of cramming an itinerary, dark sky travelers often build trips around a single celestial event or a multi-night stay somewhere remote enough to actually see the stars. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 12 May 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