not necessarily

idiom

: possibly but not certainly
used to say that something is not definitely true
Seats in the front row are not necessarily the best.
"We're going to lose this game." "Not necessarily."

Examples of not necessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And this show is not necessarily about hockey, but hockey is a character. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026 Atlanta was among six high-growth metro areas where new housing did not necessarily translate into more affordable housing for low-income renters, according to a new study from the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown Law. Matt Reynolds, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026 The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Avi Patel, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026 The Cavs, the NBA and the players’ association also understand that fixing the court to remove the gap is not necessarily an easy exercise, in no small part because it was designed and built in the early 1990s. Joe Vardon, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for not necessarily

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Cite this Entry

“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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