not exactly

phrase

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

Though Clare is eager to help, Jane’s team is not exactly pleased that the FBI is encroaching on her territory. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

In the past, her records have arrived not exactly quietly, but often under the radar. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2026

Knowledge is not exactly context, because context requires you to have that wisdom of your company. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The original attempt to not exactly make sense, but give some kind of philosophical account of what’s going on with this measurement problem. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for not exactly

• abstractly