not exactly
idiom
informal
1
—used in speech as a mild way of saying "no" especially to indicate that what someone has said is not completely correct or true
"He's your boss, isn't he?" "Not exactly."
"Did everything go the way you planned it?" "Not exactly."
2
—used as a humorous or ironic way to say "not"
He's not exactly the smartest guy I've ever met.
Examples of not exactly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At that time, producer prices were up 11.3% year over year — not exactly a moment any of us want to think about going back to.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Terminal 1, especially by comparison to Terminal 2, has not exactly endeared itself to passengers for its culinary offerings in recent years.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
The new store’s location in far west Fort Worth is not exactly in an H-E-B desert; there’s already a store in Hudson Oaks a few miles down I-20, not to mention the Central Market on I-30.
—Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2025
Villeneuve, whose other films include Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, is not exactly known for being sunny — so Goode's vision may come to life onscreen after all.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for not exactly
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Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Terminal 1, especially by comparison to Terminal 2, has not exactly endeared itself to passengers for its culinary offerings in recent years.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
The new store’s location in far west Fort Worth is not exactly in an H-E-B desert; there’s already a store in Hudson Oaks a few miles down I-20, not to mention the Central Market on I-30.
—Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2025
Villeneuve, whose other films include Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, is not exactly known for being sunny — so Goode's vision may come to life onscreen after all.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for not exactly
Cite this Entry
“Not exactly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20exactly. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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