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

• 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

It was actually called The Landlord’s Game, and designed by a woman, Elizabeth Maggie. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025

My next question was actually about generational tension. —Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

Pretend a pivotal moment from their past never happened, and history isn't actually being rewritten. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 20 Sep. 2025

The long sequence at the bus station was actually shot all in one day. —Jenny S. Li, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025

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