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
But practically speaking, the weather in Munich, Germany is not exactly desirable in October—the days are shorter, which translates to less party time and fewer people in attendance.
—
Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
That is an eye-popping number, but to be clear, the Devil May Cry games were not exactly topping the charts in terms of raw player numbers in recent years.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Norm Hall/Getty Images Perdomo is not exactly who fans think of when the Diamondbacks or mentioned.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The Padres did not exactly get to the Reds bullpen as much as the Reds bullpen was given to them on Monday night.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not exactly
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Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
That is an eye-popping number, but to be clear, the Devil May Cry games were not exactly topping the charts in terms of raw player numbers in recent years.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Norm Hall/Getty Images Perdomo is not exactly who fans think of when the Diamondbacks or mentioned.
—Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The Padres did not exactly get to the Reds bullpen as much as the Reds bullpen was given to them on Monday night.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2025.
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