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
Shannon will man larger perimeter players, but not necessarily the point of attack as often.
—
Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
In addition, the study shows only associations, not causation, and the participants’ experiences may not necessarily generalize to a larger, more diverse population.
—Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
However, new evidence indicates that exposure to the poisonous element is not necessarily a new issue.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not necessarily
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Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The rules are often arcane and not necessarily understood by the people who live in these places.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
In addition, the study shows only associations, not causation, and the participants’ experiences may not necessarily generalize to a larger, more diverse population.
—Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
However, new evidence indicates that exposure to the poisonous element is not necessarily a new issue.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not necessarily
Cite this Entry
“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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